Fritz seals commanding win over Zverev to claim Stuttgart title

Taylor Fritz clinched his fourth ATP Tour title on grass and ninth overall with a win on Sunday at the Stuttgart Open against home favourite Alexander Zverev.

In a rain-disrupted final, the American produced an impressive performance to take a commanding 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) victory. He fired 11 aces and didn't face a break point.

Fritz has now won his last five matches against Zverev to lead their series 8-5, including at last year's Wimbledon, US Open and ATP Finals.

"I'm sick of you. I don't want to see you for the next two, three years. Don't come to Germany," Zverev joked during his on-court interview, causing the stadium to laugh.

"It was an amazing week. My first final on grass in eight years. I hope that next year I'm in the final in Paris. If not, I will be happy to be here," he added.

Zverev was seeking his 25th tour-level crown but first on grass, having lost finals in Halle in 2016 and 2017.

He only competed in Stuttgart because he exited the French Open in the quarter-finals. This was his first participation since 2019. In previous years, he was either still competing in Paris or injured.

Michael Stich was the last German to win the Stuttgart title, when he claimed the trophy in 1991.

Stuttgart is among the tune-up events for Wimbledon which starts on June 30.