Fritz spoils Stuttgart home title scenario for Zverev

Taylor Fritz spoiled the chance of a 2025 German title double for Alexander Zverev with a 6-3, 7-6 (0) thrashing in the final of the ATP Stuttgart event on Sunday.

The American picked up his fourth grass trophy to run his career total to nine as he denied his world No. 3 opponent the chance to add Stuttgart to his Munich title from April on clay.

Fritz claimed his fifth win on the trot against Zverev in a match interrupted for 65 minutes by rain at the hilltop Weissenhof club; the California will move to fourth in the world on Monday with the Wimbledon start just a fortnight away

Frit also holds three trophies from the grass at Eastbourne on the English south coast.

The American won with 11 aces, as he won without facing a break point to improve to 8-5 over Zverev.

“It was not so great a clay season, so to come here and start the grass season off perfectly, I am super happy to get the title and to do it here,” the winner  said.

He is the first on the ATP to win a title without losing serve since Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Basel last October.

Zverev missed out on his 25th career title and has now lost three grass finals – all in Germany (Halle, 2016 and 2017).-