Taylor Fritz prevails over Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach Stuttgart final, eyes fourth grass title

Taylor Fritz has booked his spot in the final of the ATP 250 Stuttgart Open, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(5). The American will be looking for his fourth grass-court title, having won all three previous grass finals he's played at the Eastbourne International.

This marks Fritz's first final of the year, and he's also guaranteed to return to his career-high ranking of world No. 4. The 27-year-old now awaits his next opponent, who will be the winner of the match between Alexander Zverev (No. 3) and Ben Shelton (No. 12).

First Set

As expected, both players maintained strong serving statistics for much of the match. It was a first set where neither player offered their opponent many opportunities: the Canadian served at 77% on his first serve, winning 75% of those points, while Fritz landed 63% of his first serves, winning 80% of them.

The American led 5-4 in a high-serving contest, but in a moment of pressure, he seized his first break chance and didn't let it slip. A forehand error from the Canadian handed Fritz the break and the set, 6-4. Auger-Aliassime had a total of 10 unforced errors compared to just 4 from Fritz.

Second Set

Things continued in a similar vein during the second set, with both players hitting 67% of their first serves and maintaining an effectiveness rate above 85%. Auger-Aliassime faced his first moment under pressure in the fourth game, when he had another break point against him. However, this time he managed to hold serve without issues.

The Canadian found himself in trouble again while serving at 4-5, 0-30, but once more showed resilience to stay in the match. Everything came down to a tie-break as neither player managed to break the other's serve throughout the set. The differences were minimal, but Fritz ultimately prevailed 6-4, 7-6[7-5], advancing to his first final since the 2024 ATP Finals. He'll be seeking his fourth grass-court title against the winner of Zverev/Shelton.

Match Statistics Auger-Aliassime vs. Fritz