Ben Shelton has only extended his lead over Taylor Fritz after their All-American meeting in Stuttgart. The World No. 5 secured his third straight win in his and Fritz’s four-match rivalry, beating the fellow American 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in Sunday’s Boss Open final.
After the win, Shelton was appreciative of everything Fritz has done in his career so far. The pair shared a light-hearted moment when the champion misestimated his opponent’s grass-court titles.
Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz React After Their Boss Open Final
Fritz was defending his title in Stuttgart this week. The 2025 champion opened his run with a hard-fought 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-6(3) comeback against Martin Landaluce. He again came from behind in his quarterfinal against Mattia Bellucci to secure a 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 win. In the semifinal, Fritz beat Alexander Bublik with a 6-4, 6-4 score to secure a place in the final showdown.
The American entered the grass swing after a forgettable clay season. He was sidelined for the most part due to a lingering knee injury and failed in both matches upon his return in Geneva and Paris. During his champion’s speech, Shelton recognized his compatriot’s efforts in returning to winning ways.
“I want to congratulate Taylor, you, and your team. What you guys do day in, day out is incredible to get you healthy, to get you playing. It hasn’t been the easiest year, but what you’ve done for American tennis, your resume, every time that we’re warming up and we’re about to play and they’re listing off the things that you did. You’ve had an insane career and you’re not anywhere close to done,” he said of the 2024 US Open runner-up.
Shelton then highlighted Fritz’s grass-court prowess. The latter was, however, forced to correct Shelton when he hilariously misremembered the correct number of titles. “Six grass-court titles out of seven finals, right? What was it? Oh, five. Still ridiculous,” the champion said, laughing.
Five of Fritz’s ten career titles have come on the surface. Before his defeat on Sunday, he had won all five grass finals he contested. The 28-year-old also reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2025 after two failed quarterfinal attempts.
“You’re a contender. You’re a contender every year at Wimbledon, and you get better each week that you play on the grass. So I’m really looking forward to seeing what you do the rest of this swing,” Shelton said.
Fritz, meanwhile, commended his compatriot for battling through a rain-hit and chaotic schedule. “He had an insane schedule this week, playing half matches one day, finishing the other day; playing another match that night, waiting around all day. So, it’s deserved and it speaks to the kind of player he is. He’s an amazing competitor. So, congrats to you and congrats to your team.”
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After their campaigns in Stuttgart, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton will travel to Halle for the ATP 500 Terra Wortmann Open. The former begins his campaign against Zizou Bergs while the latter faces Nick Kyrgios in his opener.
