Frances Tiafoe cruises past US compatriot Taylor Fritz to win Halle Open
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Frances Tiafoe beat fellow American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 to win the Halle Open on June 21, sealing the biggest title of his career and becoming the first American to lift the ATP 500 grass-court trophy since 1993.
Tiafoe set the tone early, breaking serve in the opening set and staying solid on his own delivery to close it out without allowing Fritz to find rhythm.
He maintained that control in the second set, striking with another early break and dictating from the baseline to wrap up the win and snap a seven-match losing streak against Fritz, his first victory over his compatriot since 2016.
The 28-year-old won in one hour and seven minutes to claim the fourth title of his career, his first since 2023 and first at the ATP 500 level.
He also registered three top-10 wins during the week, including victories over world No. 10 Flavio Cobolli and fourth-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The defeat continued a disappointing week for the 28-year-old Fritz.
The grass court specialist had never lost a final on the surface in his career but has now lost two in a week, after going down to another American Ben Shelton in the final of the Stuttgart ATP tournament on June 14.
Fritz made the final after coming from a set down to beat freshly minted French Open champion Alexander Zverev in three sets on June 20.
Tiafoe qualified for the showpiece after a comfortable win over German Daniel Altmaier in straight sets, losing just four games. REUTERS, AFP
