Alexander Zverev made his first grass-court final appearance in eight years at the Stuttgart Open after defeating Ben Shelton in straight sets.
Zverev beat Shelton 7-6, 7-6, in the semi-final to set up a clash with Taylor Fritz in what is his first final on the surface since the Halle Open in 2017, where he lost to Roger Federer.
His 13th clash with the American is the first time an ATP 250 tournament featured a final between two top ten players since 2023.
World number three Zverev, who is in pursuit of his 25th tour-level title, didn’t have much confidence heading into the event, which he spoke on before his match with Fritz.
What Alexander Zverev told the Stuttgart Open tournament director before the event
Zverev said ahead of his final at the Stuttgart Open: “At the beginning of the week, I told tournament director [Edwin] Weindorfer not to expect too much.
“And now I’m in the final. I’m really looking forward to the match,” said the 28-year-old.
“It will definitely be difficult, but hopefully very interesting and exciting for the spectators.”
Prior to the clash with Fritz in Stuttgart, Zverev had only ever made two finals on grass courts, which both came at the Halle Open in 2017 and 2016.
Alexander Zverev’s head-to-head record with Taylor Fritz
Of the 13 clashes the two have had, Zverev has defeated Fritz seven times, but has lost their last four meetings.
They first played in Washington in 2016, where the American lost in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
Their next bout wasn’t until 2018, when they faced off in the second round of Wimbledon in a five-setter that ultimately went the way of Zverev.
After swapping wins in each of their next six encounters, Fritz began his current four-match winning streak in the rivalry, which started at Wimbledon in 2024.
The world number seven’s last win over his Stuttgart final opponent was at the ATP Finals at the end of last season.
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