By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, June 12, 2026
Photo credit: Boss Open Facebook
Taylor Fritz continues to show appetite for the gras-court fight.
Reigning Stuttgart champion Fritz fended off Mattia Bellucci 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 to battle into his second semifinal of the season at the Boss Open.
The second-seeded Fritz fired 11 aces against one double fault and saved two of three break points in a two hour, 26-minute victory.
“I was happy to get through another one like that,” Fritz said after posting his second straight three-set win a day after outlasting Spain’s Martin Landaluce 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-6(3). “It was a pretty tough match and I am really being tested in the first two matches here.
“I am super happy to get through. One of the most important parts of playing on grass is winning those big points and getting through those close matches as there will be a lot of them on grass.”
It is Fritz’s sixth straight Stuttgart victory as he continues hunting his sixth career grass-court championship. The victory sends Fritz into tomorrow’s semifinals vs. Alexander Bublik in a battle of big servers.
Earlier, Bublik withstood 19 aces from 6’8″ Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a 7-6(5), 7-6(3) victory in a match devoid of a single break point.
Top-seeded Ben Shelton saved a match point serving at 4-5 in the decider out-dueling compatriot Marcos Giron 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(5) in their second straight clash decided by a third-set tiebreaker.
Giron opened a 3-0 lead in the final set before Shelton broke back at love for 2-3. Shelton surged through eight of nine points to level the decider at 3-all.
Serving down match point at 4-5, Shelton smacked a diagonal forehand winner to save match point, eventually holding for 5-all.
In the tiebreaker, Giron whipped a wide ace go to up 5-3. Giron was in prime position on top of the net for a forehand volley, which would have given him more match points.
In a moment Giron will rue, he netted a routine forehand volley before Shelton swing a lefty forehand winner for 5-all. On match point, Shelton drew the error to close and advance to the quarterfinals.
