Stockholm: two-time UTS runner-up Taylor Fritz wins his first indoor title

Taylor Fritz has finally won an indoor title, and he did it in Sweden. The top seed beat Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3) in 2 hours 12 minutes in the final of the Bybit Stockholm Open on Saturday, his second title of the season after Washington.

UTS fans know the American well. Fritz finished runner-up at UTS events in 2021 and 2023, and showed in Stockholm the same attacking tennis that makes him a natural fit for the format.

“I would feel kind of like a quitter”

The title meant a lot to him. Two weeks ago, Fritz lost his quarter-final at the Rolex Paris Masters to Carlos Alcaraz despite holding two match points, and admitted he had been tempted to end his season there.

“It’s really big for me to kind of deal with what I dealt with in Paris. I wanted to go home so bad. Obviously, I think anyone would, but I knew that I would feel kind of like a quitter and be a little disappointed in myself if I did that,” he said. “So I’m glad I came here and I made the most of it. I’m playing great tennis and I get to end the year with the title.”

Tirante pushes him all the way

Fritz took the first set with two breaks, but Tirante, playing his first ATP Tour final, was remarkable after that. The Argentine broke for 4-3 in the second set and served it out, and neither player dropped serve in the decider. Tirante even led 3-2 with a mini-break in the tie-break, before Fritz won the last five points. Tirante finished with 10 aces and 35 winners.

The title lifts Fritz back up to No. 9 in the world. It was the sixth final of his season, a career best.

Semi-finals: Fritz avenges Lyon, Tirante’s breakthrough week

On Friday, Fritz beat third seed and former UTS semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-2 in 63 minutes, a month after losing to the Italian in the Lyon final. He converted three of his four break points.

Tirante, ranked No. 51, beat fourth seed Alejandro Tabilo 7-5, 7-6 (1) to reach the first ATP final of his career, on the day he opened up about the mental health struggles that have weighed on him in recent years. He was the first Argentine to reach an indoor final on the tour since Diego Schwartzman in Antwerp in 2021.

Results

Final

• Taylor Fritz (1) d. Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3)

Semi-finals

• Taylor Fritz (1) d. Lorenzo Musetti (3) 6-4, 6-2
• Thiago Agustin Tirante d. Alejandro Tabilo (4) 7-5, 7-6 (1)

Next stop in Sweden: UTS Gothenburg

After Stockholm, the next big date for tennis in Sweden this winter is UTS Gothenburg, at the Scandinavium on December 12 and 13. In the quarter-finals, Holger Rune, the 2022 Stockholm champion, takes on Alexander Bublik, Felix Auger-Aliassime faces Leo Borg, Stefanos Tsitsipas meets Luciano Darderi and Brandon Nakashima plays Andrey Rublev.