Frances Tiafoe upset compatriot Taylor Fritz in the final of the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, with a 6-4, 6-4 score giving him the first ATP 500 title of his career.
After the match, Fritz had nothing but love for Tiafoe. Meanwhile, the newly crowned champion also shared his delight at seeing his fellow American back on the court after an extended spell on the sidelines due to injuries.
Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe Pay Tribute to Each Other After Halle Final
Both Fritz and Tiafoe showcased their grass-court quality in Halle, with the former overcoming Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev en route to the final and the latter seeing off the likes of Flavio Cobolli and Félix Auger-Aliassime.
Fritz, who suffered heartbreak in a final for the second week running, heaped praise on Tiafoe after the match. He also playfully confessed that he wasn’t particularly fond of his countryman after the loss.
“You played great today, man. Super happy for you. As much as I don’t like you right now, you’re one of my best friends. I’m super happy for you to get the title. You’ve been having a great year, so congrats, dude,” Fritz said during the post-match trophy ceremony.
“You’re one of my best friends and I’m super happy for you to get the title!” 🥹
Taylor Fritz with some lovely words for the Halle champion, @FTiafoe 🗣️#TWO26 pic.twitter.com/kv55VwN0Y9
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 21, 2026
Tiafoe, meanwhile, was happy to see Fritz back on the court. He reminisced about their past battles and congratulated Fritz on overcoming his injury struggles.
“I want to congratulate Taylor for a great week. Man, we’ve played so many times since the juniors and had so many battles. It’s great to see you playing so well after your long knee injury and coming back on grass and picking up where you left off. Congrats on these last two weeks. Keep going, brother. Keep going,” Tiafoe said.
The win marks Tiafoe’s fourth title in his ATP Tour career. This is his second grass-court title following his triumph in Stuttgart three years ago, and he will hope to take confidence from his recent performances as he looks to make a deep run at Wimbledon.
Fritz, who hadn’t lost a grass-court final prior to this month, has now lost back-to-back finals on the surface. He lost the Stuttgart Open final to Shelton in three sets last week but can take plenty of encouragement from his start to the grass-court swing as he looks for a repeat of his semifinal run at Wimbledon last year.
Tiafoe is scheduled to head to Mallorca, and Fritz is expected to play in Eastbourne, where he is the reigning champion and has won the tournament four times. After that, both players will turn their attention to the start of the Wimbledon Championships.
