Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz Begin Stuttgart Campaigns on Wednesday

STUTTGART, Germany — American tennis players Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz will start their competitions at the BOSS Open on Wednesday after both received first-round byes. Shelton will face French player Pierre-Hugues Herbert, while Fritz is set to play Quentin Halys.

Ben Shelton is coming off a successful clay-court season, where he finished as runner-up in Munich and reached the fourth round at Roland Garros. Although the 12th-ranked American is relatively inexperienced on grass, he advanced to the Wimbledon fourth round in 2024, losing to Jannik Sinner. His next match against the 34-year-old Herbert will be their first meeting.

Herbert, known for his strong performance on grass with a 45-33 lifetime record on the surface, qualified for the Stuttgart main draw and won his opening match against Damir Dzumhur, who retired after losing the first set. Despite Herbert’s grass capabilities, Shelton is expected to advance through the challenge.

The second match features Taylor Fritz, the world No. 7, who faces Quentin Halys. Fritz is looking to improve his performance this season after struggling with an abdominal injury, ending with a 1-4 record in his last five matches. His previous encounter with Halys was on clay in Geneva, where he won.

Halys, ranked 47th in the world and with a record of 22-15 on grass, comes into the match after a victory against Lorenzo Sonego. Fritz aims to rebound from his recent form and is favored due to his overall experience and prior successes at Wimbledon, where he reached the quarterfinals twice.

The tournament features a strong field with top seed Alexander Zverev, who withdrew last year but is back after a quarterfinal exit at the French Open. He is expected to proceed to the quarterfinals, potentially facing Shelton in the later rounds.