TENNIS: Tiafoe cruises past Fritz to win Halle Open

Frances Tiafoe beat fellow American Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-4 to win the Halle Open on Sunday, sealing the biggest title of his career and becoming the first American to lift the ATP 500 grass-court trophy since 1993.

Tiafoe set the tone early, breaking serve in the opening set and staying solid on his own delivery to close it out without allowing Fritz to find rhythm.

He maintained that control in the second set, striking with another early break and dictating from the baseline to wrap up the win and snap a seven-match losing streak against Fritz, his first victory over his compatriot since 2016.

The triumph marked Tiafoe’s fourth career title and his first in three years, with the American also registering three top-10 wins during the week, including victories over world number 10 Flavio Cobolli and number four Felix Auger-Aliassime.

-Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne/Reuters