Ben Shelton lifts maiden grass-court trophy with victory over Taylor Fritz in Stuttgart

Ben Shelton alongside girlfriend Trinity Rodman following his victory
Ben Shelton alongside girlfriend Trinity Rodman following his victoryČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Timo Stein

American Ben Shelton defeated compatriot ⁠and defending champion Taylor Fritz 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 ‌to win the Stuttgart Open ‌on Sunday, claiming his ‌first title on grass.

The ‌23-year-old, ranked world number five, ‌had to dig deep on his serve, saving ‌nine of the 11 ⁠break ‌points he faced.

It was Shelton's sixth ​career title and his third this season, ​following wins in Dallas and Munich.

"It means a lot ⁠to ​me," Shelton said. "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."

The only other player to have won three titles this season is Italian world number ⁠one Jannik ⁠Sinner.

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