Ben Shelton took the scenic route to his maiden grass-court title in Stuttgart, overpowering defending champion Taylor Fritz 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in a thrilling final. The current World No. 5 secured his 3rd consecutive victory in their four-match rivalry, capping off a breakthrough week at the Boss Open. Yet, just when the celebrations were underway, Fritz’s cheeky correction for Shelton sparked an amusing exchange that nearly stole the spotlight.

“Six grass-court titles out of seven finals, right? What was it?” Ben Shelton said at the post-match trophy celebrations while acknowledging Fritz’s success on the surface. However, Fritz was quick to step in with a humorous correction. “Oh, five,” Shelton said on the mic when the Boss Open finalist from behind corrected him. 

The exchange immediately drew laughter from those present at the ceremony. Shelton then responded with a smile and added, “Still ridiculous,” while laughing.  The light-hearted moment quickly became one of the standout scenes from the trophy presentation yesterday.

Despite the mix-up, the 22-year-old’s praise was certainly justified. 5 of Fritz’s 10 ATP career titles have come on grass courts.

Before Sunday’s loss to Shelton, Fritz had won all five grass-court finals he had contested. His success on the surface dates back to 2019 when he captured the Lexus Eastbourne Open title for the first time in his career.

He returned to lift the Eastbourne trophy again in 2022, 2024, and 2025. His 5th grass-court title came last year at the Boss Open itself, where he defeated the local hero and current Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev in Germany.

Because of those achievements, the former world No. 4 is widely regarded as one of the best grass-court players on the ATP Tour. He owns a career win rate of nearly 66.67% on the surface.

The American has compiled an impressive 66-33 win-loss record on grass while also reaching 6 finals overall. He further strengthened his credentials by advancing to the SW19 SF in 2025 after falling in the QF on two previous occasions.

“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 afterwards about Fritz.

While Taylor corrected Shelton over the number of his grass-court trophies, the current Boss Open champion also recognized his compatriot’s recent journey afterwards. 

Ben Shelton praises Taylor Fritz’s inspiring comeback on tour from injury setbacks

Taylor Fritz certainly arrived in Stuttgart this week carrying the pressure of defending his ATP 250 title. Despite the challenge, the former US Open finalist put together another impressive grass-court campaign.

The defending champion began his title defense with a gritty comeback victory over Martin Landaluce 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-6(3) to move into the QF. He once again showed his resilience in the last eight. After dropping the first set against Mattia Bellucci, the American fought back to claim a 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 victory.

His SF encounter against Alexander Bublik proved to be far more straightforward. Fritz produced a composed display to seal a 6-4, 6-4 win and book his place in the final.

And behind all of it, the American entered the grass-court season after enduring a disappointing clay swing. A lingering knee injury kept him sidelined for much of that period.

When Fritz eventually returned to action, things did not immediately improve. He suffered defeats in both Geneva and Paris where he lost in R16 and R1 respectively.

However, his run to the Stuttgart final highlighted the determination that has defined much of his career. It was an important response after difficult few months.

And during the trophy ceremony, Shelton praised Fritz and his team’s efforts in navigating those challenges. “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,” Shelton added.

“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,” Shelton explained.

Following their campaigns in Stuttgart, both the American ATP stars will shift their attention to the ATP 500 Terra Wortmann Open in Halle. Fritz is set to begin his tournament against Zizou Bergs, while the Boss Open winner will take on Nick Kyrgios in his opening-round match.

With The Championships rapidly approaching, both players appear to have reasons for optimism as Fritz seems to have rediscovered momentum after injury setbacks, while Shelton now arrives with growing confidence.