Fritz battles into Stuttgart semis, will face Bublik

American tennis player Taylor Fritz has advanced to the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open after a hard-fought victory over Italy's Mattia Bellucci. Fritz, the world number nine and second seed, battled back from losing the first set to win 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 in a match lasting over two and a half hours on the German grass courts.

Fritz's semifinal opponent will be Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik, the third seed. Bublik secured his place by defeating France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in two tie-break sets, 7-6(5), 7-6(3). Neither player managed to break the other's serve in their match.

The other semifinal will feature Czech player Jiri Lehecka, the fourth seed, who defeated American Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 7-6(4). Lehecka controlled the match from the start, playing solid tennis and capitalizing on break point opportunities. Meanwhile, top seed Ben Shelton reached the quarterfinals by beating compatriot Marcos Giron 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-5. Shelton's semifinal match against Japan's Sho Shimbukuro has been postponed to Saturday due to poor light and the condition of the grass court.