Taylor Fritz defeated Ben Shelton, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, in the quarter-finals of the Halle Open.
The 2024 US Open finalist saved match points in a come-from-behind win over his American rival.
Fritz was determined to get one over on Shelton, having lost to the 23-year-old in the Stuttgart Open final five days ago.
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Always honest in his on-court interviews, Fritz delivered his verdict on his rivalry with Shelton after the match.
Taylor Fritz admits Ben Shelton was in his head after winning two tight finals earlier this year
“It’s just relief, honestly, after that last one!” said Fritz.
“Once I got in the position at 6-3 [in the final set tiebreaker], I don’t know if I could take losing another one of those to Ben [Shelton]!
Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton’s head-to-head record (2-3)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2026 Halle Open – QF | Taylor Fritz | Ben Shelton | 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 |
| 2026 Stuttgart Open – F | Ben Shelton | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 |
| 2026 Dallas Open – F | Ben Shelton | Taylor Fritz | 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 |
| 2025 Canadian Open – SF | Ben Shelton | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2023 Indian Wells – 2R | Taylor Fritz | Ben Shelton | 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
“When I say that, I mean like, doing anything but winning the match.
“The funny thing about this one is he had the chances, he had the better chances, and in the other two that he won, I probably had the better chances throughout the match.
“He is kind of in my head with capitalising on the big chances, and I’m happy to get through that.”
Fritz lost to Shelton in the Stuttgart Open final and the Dallas Open final earlier this year.
The older of the two Americans had chances in both matches, failing to convert 14 total break points.
As it turned out, Fritz didn’t need a single break point this time around, winning a match consisting of three tiebreaks in Halle.
During his post-match interview, Fritz was asked if he changed anything after dropping the first tiebreaker to Shelton.
Taylor Fritz’s stats vs Ben Shelton
- Aces – 24
- Double faults – 1
- 1st Serve % – 78%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 80%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 65%
- Break points – 0/0
- Total points won – 126
“I think you look at the stat line and see that neither one of us had a break point in the first set, but I had two looks at 15-30s, so that’s four points where I win one of them, and I get a break point,” said Fritz.
“So I know that I had the better chances in the first set, then also two second serves in the breaker at 4-3 or 5-3 in the breaker, two second serve looks, so I had my opportunities, I just needed to do better.
“I kind of just tried to do the same thing. He returned a lot better and put a lot more pressure on my serve in the second and third sets.”
Shelton raised his game in the second and third sets, earning four break points, but failed to convert a single one, as Fritz secured the win, narrowing the deficit in their head-to-head.
Fritz was delighted with the win, but knows he has room to improve on grass.
“Yeah, there is a lot I can do better, but I think a lot of it is specific to playing Ben,” he said.
“I could do so much better at putting second serve returns in the court, not necessarily attacking, just putting them in a good neutral deep ball.
“I missed way too many second serve returns and left too many short, but a lot of that is because I’m playing a lefty that’s serving huge second serves, so definitely looking for more pressure on second serves
“And maybe when I come to the net I don’t brick the volleys, that would be nice, too!”
Fritz will be looking to make those improvements in time for his semi-final match.
Who will Taylor Fritz play in the Halle Open semi-finals?
Fritz will meet Alexander Zverev or Raphael Collignon in the semi-finals.
Zverev is, of course, the trickier opponent by ranking, although Fritz has won their last six ATP Tour encounters.
The American will fancy his chances of reaching the final, where he would face Daniel Altmaier, Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe, or Felix Auger-Aliassime.
He won’t want to get ahead of himself, though, and will now turn his attention to the semis and a clash with Zverev or Collignon on Saturday, June 20.
