Taylor Fritz has claimed his first title of the year with a 6-3 7-6 (7-0) win over top seed Alexander Zverev in the Stuttgart Open final, extending his winning streak against the German to five matches.
Fritz, who knocked out Zverev in the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, won the opening set 6-3 in 30 minutes on Sunday without facing a break point.
The American second seed broke for a 5-3 lead after Zverev double-faulted twice and missed a volley at the net.
The second set stayed on serve, with Zverev saving the only break point at 5-5 before Fritz pulled away in a one-sided tiebreak to seal victory.
It was Fritz’s ninth career title, fourth on grass, and improved his head-to-head record against Zverev to 8-5.
The 28-year-old German is yet to win a title on grass, a surface he has long struggled on. The three-times grand slam finalist has never progressed beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon.
World No.7 Fritz, who fired down 11 aces and didn’t face a break point while winning 88 percent of his first-serve points, is set to rise to fourth in the rankings ahead of Wimbledon.
Content Source: www.perthnow.com.au