New Delhi: 

Top seed Alexander Zverev continued his impressive form on home soil as he advances to the semifinals of the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart with a 7-5, 6-4 win over American Brandon Nakashima.

The German is eying his first grass court title and has delivered a clinical performance by saving both break points he faced while firing 31 winners against 20 unforced errors.

The Stuttgart courts seem to suit Fritz well, as he is no stranger to grass-court success, having previously won titles at Eastbourne in 2019, 2022, and 2024. He now sets up an enticing semi-final encounter with Auger-Aliassime, whom he leads 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Zverev’s consistency and control proved too much for Nakashima, whom he now leads 4-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings. His latest win also marks a significant achievement as he becomes the first Top 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings to reach the Stuttgart semi-finals since Roger Federer clinched the title in 2018.

He has already lifted a title in Germany this season on the clay courts of Munich, Zverev now sets his sights on repeating that success on grass. He will face either Ben Shelton or Jiri Lehecka in the semi-finals. Auger-Aliassime and Fritz power to semis

Earlier in the day, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime halted the inspiring run of 17-year-old German Justin Engel. In straight sets, Auger-Aliassime booked his place in the semifinals, defeating by a scoreline of 7-6(3), 6-3. He hit 18 aces and won 86% of his first-serve points.

Despite the defeat, Engel made a big impression in Stuttgart as he defeated James Duckworth and Alex Michelsen and became the youngest player to reach a grass-court tour-level quarter-final since Boris Becker at Wimbledon in 1985. His efforts will not go unnoticed as he leaps 47 spots to No. 234 in the live rankings. 

In another fixture, Taylor Fritz showed no signs of slowing down as he comfortably defeated Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 6-4 in just 77 minutes. The second-seeded American dominated with a strong serve and composed play from the baseline, improving his record against Fucsovics to 3-1.

Read More:

Real Madrid sign record-breaking Argentina youngster Mastantuono