STUTTGART/STARNBERG, June 13 ,2025
Alexander Zverev has reached the semifinals of the BOSS Open in Stuttgart for the very first time, continuing his strong form on home soil. The World No. 3 defeated US-American Brandon Nakashima 7-5, 6-4 on Friday to book his place in the final four of the ATP 250 grass-court event held at the Tennis Club Weissenhof.
Zverev, who is the fifth German to reach the Stuttgart semifinals since the tournament switched to grass in 2015 – following Philipp Kohlschreiber (2016), his brother Mischa Zverev (2017), Jan-Lennard Struff (2019 and 2023), and Oskar Otte (2022) – will now face Ben Shelton on Saturday for a spot in the final.
Against Nakashima, the Hamburg native once again proved his dominance, improving his head-to-head record to 4-0 against the US-American, with all their previous matches having come at Grand Slams. Zverev fended off both break points he faced in the first set and capitalized on his lone opportunity, breaking for 6-5 before serving it out confidently.
In the second set, Zverev raised his level, allowing Nakashima no chances on return and securing the crucial break at 3-2. After 91 minutes, he sealed the match on his first match point to the delight of a packed Centre Court crowd in Stuttgart.
“I played better than yesterday – better returns, better serving for sure,” Zverev said in his post-match press conference, referencing his earlier win over Corentin Moutet. “I’ve practiced a lot here, but now we’re down to the final four. At the start of the week, it was all about training, but now it’s about match play. No matter how it ends, I’ve got three matches under my belt, so it’s a good week.”
His next opponent, Ben Shelton, is enjoying a milestone week of his own. With a 6-4, 6-4 win over Jiri Lehecka, the 21-year-old from the United States secured a place in the semifinals and is set to break into the ATP Top 10 for the first time on Monday.
“If that’s really the case, it would be a huge milestone for me. But I’ll wait until Monday to see it with my own eyes,” Shelton said. “Stuttgart seems to be a good place for that kind of achievement. If I remember correctly, Frances Tiafoe also broke into the Top 10 here when he won the title in 2023. But right now, I’m focused on this week – and I want to still be playing on Sunday.”
Auger-Aliassime Ends Engel’s Run
Earlier in the day, Canadian No. 4 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime put an end to the sensational run of 17-year-old German wild card Justin Engel. Despite a spirited performance, Engel was unable to pull off another upset, falling 7-6(3), 6-3 in one hour and 38 minutes.
“His serve was just incredible today,” Engel said afterward. “That put a lot of pressure on my own service games. But once again, it was a blast to play in front of this crowd. I can’t wait to come back next year.” Engel now heads to Halle, where he will compete in qualifying this weekend.
Auger-Aliassime had high praise for the young German: “It wasn’t easy – you can see that in the scoreline. He’s got a great serve and plays very precisely for someone his size. If he keeps going like this, he’s going to be a real challenge for us more experienced players soon.”
The two-time Stuttgart finalist (2019, 2021) will face US-American and BOSS ambassador Taylor Fritz in Saturday’s first semifinal. Fritz advanced with a commanding 6-3, 6-4 victory over Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, showing no signs of weakness.
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