Frances Tiafoe dominated from the start as he became the first American to win the ATP Halle title with a 6-4, 6-4 thrashing of compatriot Taylor Fritz on Sunday.

The 2023 winner on German grass in Stuttgart  needed just 67 minutes to dominate Fritz, who was far from his best after reaching two finals in two weeks – and losing both to countrymen.

Tiafoe backed up his Stuttgart quarter-final last week with a solid display here, beating three top 10 opponents – Roland Garros finalist Flavio Cobolli, Felix Auger-Alaissime and Fritz – at the same event for the first time in his career

The winner set up a pair of match points with a backhand down the line before converting on his first chance in a battle of North American ball strikers.

Tiefoe credited his success to a higher power, noting his favourite scripture after the win.

“I’ve lost a lot of 500-level finals – Vienna, Tokyo, Alcapulco – so this is big,” the winner said.

“A few weeks ago I had one of the toughest losses of my career at the French Open (nealry five and a half hours against Matteo Arnaldi), but I had a good week in Stuttgart and I won my biggest title here.”

Tiafoe never faced a break point and sent down right aces in victory.

“I returned really well today, I didn’t have any trouble serving during the entire match. It feels really good to get this done.”

The winner said he played “a clean match” and characterised Fritz as “a hell of a competitor.”

“I played some good tennis and had some luck along the way.

“I’m excited for Wimbledon, but I will take this all in first: see you in a week, SW 19.”

Tiafoe lost just seven points on serve in his rout of his good friend.ament. He broke his curse of losing all four finals he had played above the ATP 250 level.

Main photo:- Frances Tiafoe with Halle Trophy ©ATPTour.com

A pair of Tour events are defiantly continuing this week in Mexico as parts of the country are reduced to chaos after the killing of a top cartel boss at the weekend.

The ATP tournament in Acapulco and the WTA event in Merida are going ahead as usual despite violent retaliations form gang members in the wake of the killing by government troops of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The criminal organisation has a reported 19,000 members spread throughout the country and are wreaking havoc through car burnings and roadblocks which have resulted in flight cancellations at several airports.

With a state of emergency looming, it’s business as usual at the tennis.

“The Abierto Mexicano Telcel reports that the rumors circling in the press and on social media about the tournament’s supposed cancelling due to the security issues in Jalisco are false,” ATP organisers in Acapulco on he western Pacific coast said.

“The tournament has not issued any cancellation notice. The event will go on as scheduled and tournament operations will proceed as normal.

“We remain in coordination and in constant communication with federal, state and municipal authorities, following the established security protocols.”

Alexander Zverev is top seed at the event while second seed Alex de Minaur was knocked out in his opening match on Monday by outsider Patrick Kypson.

The WTA in Merida 1,500 kilometers away in the Yucatan peninsula are also carrying on. Briton Katie Boulter is in the field with the draw headed by Emma Navarro and Jasmine Paolini.

Several Mexican football matches were cancelled on Sunday due to the spreading violence and airline flights were cancelled.

Main photo:- Violence in popular tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta by @morelifediares via Instagram

Alexander Zverev had to work to set a personal best, with the German reaching his 500th career match win on Thursday at the Toronto Masters.

The top seed in Canada outlasted Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2 for a place in the fourth round at teh penultimate event prior to the US Open start.

Zverev lost the opening set but regrouped in the second and broke twice in the third to seal victory in just under three hours.

The win was his second this season over Arnaldi after a similar comeback in Acapulco.

“It’s a great achievement,” Zverev said of his accomplishment. “Not a lot of players reach this milestone.

“But I still want 500 more – maybe even more.

“You always want to win as many matches as possible. I’m about about this.”

Zverev was joined in the last 16 by Alex Michelsen, who upset third seed Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 after failing on six match points.

The 20-year-old winner overcame nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances.

“It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work and it’s paying off a little bit. I was wondering when it would happen and I guess it is starting to happen right now.

There was a win for fifth seed Holger Rune, who advanced 6-2, 6-4 result over Frenchman Alexandre Muller.

Eighth-seeded Casper Ruud started slowly but rose to the occasion as he put out Portugal’s Nuno Borges 7-5, 6-4.

Ruud missed Wimbledon with injury and was playing just his fourth match since Roland Garros in the spring.

“I just crawled into the first set,” said Ruud, who came from 4-1 down.

“I was able to get back into it. One break and things can happen. I raised my return game and got more balls back into play.

“In the second set I got the break and served my way through.”