Ben Shelton is a new title-holder in Stuttgart, having dethroned the defending champion Taylor Fritz earlier today to secure the trophy.
It was a hugely exciting match between two elite grass-court players, and in typical fashion, it went the distance.
All four of the matches that the 23-year-old played in Germany over the last week went to a third set, having had to come from behind in his first three matches as well.
It was only fitting that he won the final in similar fashion, by staving off a Taylor Fritz fightback to claim the title.
Unsurprisingly, both men spoke glowingly about one another afterwards, with Ben Shelton actually branding his fellow finalist an American tennis inspiration.
Ben Shelton praises Taylor Fritz after beating him in the BOSS Open final
He began with a more insightful courtside interview, admitting: “It certainly means a lot. Certainly, a difficult week, not an easy week to get through. I’m pretty exhausted.
“But to play the way that I did against the quality opponents that I played, very, very tight matches and, you know, getting a win today over one of the best grass-court players in the world is a huge boost for my confidence.”
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Then, on his mentality, Shelton added: “I’m just exhausted, to be honest. A lot of stress; I don’t make things easier on myself, but, you know, every guy that I played, I thought played really well, made things really difficult.
“Taylor for a period of the match today was completely unplayable, and so I got to give a lot of credit to the guys that I played.
“But for me, being tough, getting through the really tough matches, day in and day out is the first step to get into where I want to be and being in the groove that I want to be in in this grass-court season.”
He would expand on that praise for Fritz in his champions speech, claiming: “I want to congratulate Taylor.
You, your team, what you guys do day in, day out is incredible to get you healthy, to get you playing. I know it hasn’t been the easiest year, but what you’ve done for American tennis, your resume, every time that we’re warming up and we’re about to play, and they’re listing off the things that you did. You have had an insane career, and you’re not anywhere close to done.”
“You’re a contender every year at Wimbledon, and you get better each week that you play on the grass. So I’m really looking forward to seeing what you do the rest of this swing and just congrats to you and your team.”
Shelton lost disappointingly early at Roland Garros, but could not have bounced back in a more positive way with this maiden grass-court title.
What Taylor Fritz said straight after losing the final in Stuttgart
This actually came after Fritz had already reserved positive words for his compatriot, as he offered a similar sentiment in his runners-up speech.
He too had suffered through a gruelling week of tennis laden with lengthy three-set battles, but this experience will surely stand him in good stead for the remainder of the grass-court season.
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Fritz then offered some words of encouragement for Shelton: “Yeah, I mean, it was a great week for me. Obviously, I got through a lot of tough matches, and I’m happy to be here playing today in the finals and congrats to Ben.
“He had an insane schedule this week playing half matches one day, finishing the other day, playing another match that night, waiting around all day. So, yeah, it’s deserved, and it speaks to the kind of player he is. He’s an amazing competitor, so congrats to you and congrats to your team.”
Fritz has suffered from physical issues all year really, so it was promising to see the 28-year-old finally put together a run of form and fitness to reach a final.
