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Fritz, who needed to go the distance in his previous two matches in Germany, made light work of Bublik in their semi-final.

The American triumphed 6-4 6-4 in just over an hour and will meet compatriot Ben Shelton after he battled past Jiri Lehecka in a marathon second semi-final thriller.

Fritz did not have it all his own way, as the world No.9 had to recover from conceding serve in the very first game.

Yet Fritz came up trumps when it mattered in the first set, breaking back to drag level at 4-4, and then doing so again to nudge himself into the lead in the tie.

There was nothing to separate the duo in the second set until the last game, when Fritz grabbed the crucial break and, in the process, sealed victory.

Fritz has won one title this year, triumphing on home soil in Dallas, but he has not made another final on the ATP Tour.

However, he now has a shot at glory, and in the process, has snapped a long run of the defending Stuttgart Open champion falling short.

Fritz has become the first reigning champion to reach the Stuttgart final since Thomas Muster won back-to-back titles in 1995 and 1996.