Stuttgart Open Round-Up | Ben Shelton sets all-American final after comeback bid over Lehecka as Fritz awaits
ATPSaturday, 13 June 2026 at 19:57
Ben Shelton had to dig extremely deeply to seal a final with Taylor Fritz after having to play twice on Saturday winning two games including a come from behind bid against Jiri Lehecka.
He rallied for a thrilling 6-7(4), 7-6(14), 7-6(6) victory to seal his spot in the championship match. He saw off Sho Shimabukuro on Saturday morning before returning to set his tie with Fritz.
Though Lehecka saved all five break points he faced, he was unable to stop Shelton in the tight moments. Shelton saved the first match point in the tie-break at 5-6 outfoxing Lehecka before he finally fell over the line.
“Sometimes tennis doesn’t go to plan,” Shelton said. “I lost the first set in every single match I played. That can make things difficult, but there are a lot of ways to win a match. I’ve been choosing the most difficult route, but my opponents have played great matches. Shoutout to Jiri. I thought he played an outstanding match today. I thought the level was really high.”
He managed to do so to claim a tie with a familiar foe in Taylor Fritz as he is one of many different players to have to play twice on Saturday. He leads their Head-to-Head 2-1 having saved three championship points winning Dallas in February.
“I’m very tired, but excited to be playing him in another final,” said Shelton, who is chasing his third title of the season. “It’s our second final against each other this year. He’s one of the top American guys I’ve always looked up to. Anytime that we get to share the court is a lot of fun.”
Fritz downs Bublik
Fritz took down Alexander Bublik earlier today. He dominated the defending Halle champion 6-4, 6-4. After having to play two three set games, he was composed against Bublik.
He won in just 68 minutes and the American is now the first reigning champion to reach the final again since Thomas Muster in 1995-96. This time when it was on clay. He hit 13 aces and won 78 per cent of points behind his first serve. He will win his first title of the season if he does so
“I had to really fight through the first couple matches, and it feels crazy that it’s already the final,” Fritz said. “It’s always cool to defend a title. To get my first title of the year, like I did here last year, would be a great way to get the grass season started.”
“I really like being rewarded for taking risks and hitting good shots,” Fritz said also. “I think it's great for my serve and it suits my backhand. I return pretty bad on every other surface anyway, so I feel like I return the same on grass and that’s not bad.”
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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