Fritz dominates Zverev 6-3, 7-6 to claim ATP 250 Boss Open in Stuttgart

With the terre battue in the rearview mirror, the ATP transitioned to grass in preparation for the season’s third Grand Slam, the Championships at Wimbledon. While American Taylor Fritz has enjoyed success on the surface, with three titles in Eastbourne (2019, 2022, and 2024), his opponent, hometown favorite Sascha Zverev, was still in search of his first.

Fritz had been struggling with an abdominal injury this season but despite the setback remains in the top ten at #7 having achieved a career-high of #4 last November. Zverev seems to summon his best when playing in Germany having won his third title on the dirt in April at the ATP 500 in Munich. The twenty-eight-year-old and top seed from Hamburg is currently ranked #3 having reascended to #2 at the end of last season.

Fritz one year younger and the #2 seed, led the head-to-head 7-5 but trailed the German 1-2 on grass, with all three matches contested in best of five at Wimbledon. Zverev was aiming for another hat trick – three consecutive straight-set victories over Americans having dispatched Ben Shelton and Brandon Nakashima in the previous two rounds. Zverev won the toss and elected to receive.

Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images

Fritz opened with a winning inside-in forehand and closed with an ace out wide while Zverev made 4/5 first serves and held to 15 to level. The American struck two additional aces and held easily to 15 while the hometown favorite upped the ante by holding at love.

Fritz trailed 15-30 and faced a deuce but held for 3-2 following two consecutive forehand errors from his opponent. The #1 seed ripped three incredible groundstroke winners and held to 30 to level.  

The American made 4/4 first serves including two aces and held at love for 4-3. Zverev serving with new balls gifted two double faults and despite hitting his first two aces, faced two break points and dumped serve. Fritz made 5/5 first serves and secured the set 6-3 with his seventh ace.

Zverev served first in the second and with two groundstroke winners, held to 30. Fritz opened with a mishit forehand but leveled at 1-1 with two consecutive aces. The German opened the third with his third ace and immediately thereafter, the play was suspended due to rain. When play resumed, Zverev donated two unforced errors yet held to 30 for 2-1.

Fritz made 3/4 first serves and held at love to level. Zverev opened the fifth with an ace out wide and held to 15 while Fritz missed 3/5 first serves yet held to 15 for 3-3.

The top seed committed two unforced errors but held to 30 while Fritz held at love with his tenth ace. Zverev opened the ninth with his fifth ace and held to 15 for 5-4 despite missing four consecutive first serves.

The partisan crowd eager for a break a serve that would yield the set to their charge, saw a 0-30 lead evaporate as the American regrouped and held for 5-5. Zverev donated four unforced errors and faced two deuce and break point but held for 6-5 with two consecutive well-struck serves including an ace on game point.

The American serving to force the breaker continued to hit with depth and variety and with two remarkable winners including an ace out wide, leveled at six. It was one-way traffic in the breaker as Fritz led 6-0 when they changed ends. With one additional serve, the American secured victory when Zverev overcooked another forehand.

Fritz claimed his first title in Stuttgart without dropping serve! It was a masterful performance from the Californian who looks to build on this success as he heads to London to play at Queens. He finished with 11 aces, and 0 double faults and won an astounding 88% of first and 71% of second serve points. He did not face a break point, converted 1/3, and struck 18 winners to 12 unforced errors.

With his nine career title, Fritz will retake the #4 spot in the rankings come Monday and perhaps in two weeks, the coveted number four seed at Wimbledon.