Photo credit: Boss Open Facebook
Taylor Fritz called the shots on serve to rule Stuttgart in style.
In a clash of the top two seeds, Fritz unleashed a near flawless serving performance topping top-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(0) collecting his first title of the season at the Boss Open on Stuttgart's grass.
It is Fritz’s fifth straight victory over former Olympic gold-medal champion Zverev as he takes an 8-5 lead in their head-to-head series. Fritz is the fourth man to beat the powerful German five times in a row joining Rafa Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev in achieving that streak.
Zverev shared his frustration in the post-match ceremony, telling Fritz he was no longer welcome in Germany.
"Taylor, I'm f*****g tired of you," he said. Playing his first final since the ATP Finals in Turin last November, Fritz bounced back from a disappointing Roland Garros opening-round loss to Daniel Altmaier last month.
Dominating Stuttgart's lawn with a searing serve and superb first-strike tennis, Fritz did not face a break point in a one hour, 25-minute final that was interrupted by about a a 75-minute rain delay midway through the match.
The break didn't slow Fritz's roll: He served 71 percent, whipped 11 aces without a double fault, won 37 of 42 first-serve points and stamped four love holds.
Fritz is the first man to capture an ATP title without surrendering serve the entire tournament since French flamethrower server Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard did it in Basel last October.
“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," Fritz said.
It’s the ninth career championship for Fritz, who captured his fourth grass-court crown.
It's an important win for Wimbledon, too. The victory vaults Fritz past Briton Jack Draper back to world No. 4, which will be beneficial for Wimbledon seeding purposes. The grass-court Grand Slam begins on June 30th.
Today's title comes 11 months after Fritz broke Zverev's heart with a stirring Wimbledon comeback.
A free-flowing Fritz fought back from a two-set hole last July stunning French Open finalist Zverev 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3 rallying into his second Wimbledon quarterfinal in a clash of former junior world No. 1 players.
In today's rematch, Fritz's strong serving, assertive court-positioning and his control of the forehand crosscourt exchanges were all valuable assets in his ninth career championship.