ATP Tour

Fritz saves MP, gains Shelton revenge to reach Halle SFs

Taylor Fritz has had his fair share of Ben Shelton heartbreak in 2026.

Shelton defeated Fritz in the final in Dallas in February and then beat him in the championship match on grass in Stuttgart just six days ago.

Yet, the World No. 9 Fritz ensured he endured no more pain against the lefty on Friday at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, where he saved one match point in a dramatic 6-7(5), 7-6(8), 7-6(3) comeback win.

“I don’t know if I could have taken losing another one of those to Ben,” Fritz said in his on-court interview. “When I say that, I mean just doing everything but winning the match, because the funny thing about this one is he had the chances. In the other two he won, I probably had the better chances. I kind of just had it in my head capitalising on the big chances and I am happy to get through that.”

In a serve-dominated clash, Fritz struck 24 aces and saved all four break points he faced, while Shelton hit 15 aces and did not face a break point in the two-hour, 49-minute match.

Fritz fended off one match point on his serve at 6/7 in the second-set tie-break when Shelton fired a routine forehand long before he locked down in the third-set tie-break. The American refused to miss in the baseline exchanges and capitalised on four unforced errors from the No. 5 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Shelton to triumph.

It is Fritz’s first win against a Top 10 player since he beat Lorenzo Musetti at the Nitto ATP Finals in November. Chasing his first title of the year, the 28-year-old will next play top seed Alexander Zverev.

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Zverev overcame Belgian Raphael Collignon 7-6(10), 7-6(2) to record a Tour-leading 38th win in 2026, moving one clear of Jannik Sinner (37).

The German saved three set points in the first-set tie-break, fending off danger at 5/6, 7/8 and 9/10 before he sealed the opener on his third set point. Zverev then raced clear in the second-set tie-break to reach the semi-finals in Halle for the sixth time.

"I think it was a really high-level match from both of us and I think the serving was unbelievable," Zverev said. "But when I had the chances, I was playing well from the baseline. In the important moments in the first-set tie-break I kept my nerve and won that. I am very happy with the straight sets win."

Zverev, a finalist at the ATP 500 event in 2016 and 2017, has won his past 10 matches, having won his first major at Roland Garros earlier this month. The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings next plays Fritz but, trails the American 5-9 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

"I've had a tough time against him and last year we played quite a lot and I felt that I was not in a good stage and not playing well," Zverev said of the Fritz matchup. "I feel I am playing a lot better than last year and I hope to continue playing that way."