Former Florida Gators tennis star Ben Shelton defeated fellow ranked American, Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to lift the trophy at the ATP Boss Open in Stuttgart, Germany.
The win marked Shelton’s third singles title of the year and first career grass-court title, while serving as the perfect tune-up for the upcoming Wimbledon Championships from June 29-July 12.
Heading into the Boss Open, Shelton ranked as the highest American by the ATP at No. 5, awarding him the tournament’s top seed. The big-serving lefty did not have an easy path to victory as the four opponents he faced each gave him hard fought battles. All four matches went to three sets, including a 30-point tie break in the semifinal against Jiri Lehecka.
Victorious over Fritz in the final, Shelton became the third American to win the ATP 250 Boss Open in the last five years. The win also tallied Shelton’s second win over Fritz in a final, after previously defeating him at the Dallas Open on February 15th.
“It means a lot to me,” Shelton told reporters after the match. “Certainly a difficult week, not an easy week to get through. I’m pretty exhausted, but to play the way I did against the quality of opponents I played in very tight matches and getting a win today against one of the best grass-court players in the world is a huge boost for my confidence.
“I’m just happy to get my first title here in Stuttgart.”
Shelton is the first American since Sam Querrey in 2010 to lift trophies on hard, clay and grass courts in the same season. His third title also makes him the only other player, besides ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner, to hold three or more titles in 2026.
In the final against Fritz, the 23-year old saved all five break points he faced in the opening set and both the break points he faced in the third set to secure the tournament win.
“Taylor for a period of the match today was completely unplayable. So I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the guys I played,” Shelton told reporters. “But for me, being tough and getting through the tough matches, day in and day out, is the first step to getting to where I want to be and being in the groove that I want to be in this grass-court season.”
Shelton will remain in Germany and head to Halle, where he will compete again on grass against Nick Kyrgios as the third seed at the Terra Wortmann Open on Wednesday.
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