Stuttgart, Germany – Taylor Fritz won his first title of the year by defeating top Seeded Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 7-6 (0) at the Stuttgart Open Final Sunday, extending his winning streak against Germany to five matches.
Fritz, who knocked Zverev out in the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, won the opening set in 30 minutes without facing a breakpoint. The American Second Seed took a 5-3 lead after Zverev double-falling twice and missed a volley in the net.
The second set stayed in the serve, with Zverev saving only breakpoints at 5-5, pulling away with a one-sided tiebreaker for Fritz to seal the victory. Fritz’s ninth career title, fourth grass, improved from head to 8-5 against Zverev.
Zverev, 28, has not won the title with Grass, the surface he has struggled for a long time. The three-time Grand Slam finalist has never made any progress beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon.
The 27-year-old World No. 7 Fritz is set to be fourth in the previous rankings at Wimbledon, which will be held from June 30th to July 13th.