Ben Shelton did things the hard way once again, but he prevailed in three sets to beat Taylor Fritz and win the Stuttgart Open trophy.

All four of Shelton's matches at the tournament have seen him go the distance, and he ended up on the right side of a 6-4 2-6 6-4 result in Sunday's showpiece.

Shelton, fresh from a double-header on Saturday, started strong to take a 2-1 lead before then holding off three break points in the following game to maintain his advantage.

Fritz failed to convert another two break points later in the set, and his compatriot served out the first with a love-hold.

However, it was Fritz who started on the front foot in the second, reeling off the first three games for the loss of just one point.

Shelton held off two break points shortly after, but Fritz got another break to take the set and force the decider.

The world number five then had to bide his time, holding serve to level at 3-3 despite Fritz's best efforts, and he wrapped up the match with a three-game winning streak to win his first title in Stuttgart.

Marathon-man Shelton goes the distance one last time

Shelton has had to work for every win in Stuttgart this week, but unlike his semi-final match against Jiri Lehecka, in which every set went to a tie-break, the final was a little easier to navigate.

It was helped by the fact that, for the first time this week, he won the opening set, having had to come from behind in the previous rounds.

The 23-year-old has won his third title of the season, having also triumphed in Dallas and Munich, where he also beat Fritz to lift the trophy.

Shelton now boasts a 3-1 head-to-head record against Fritz, who won the first meeting between the pair at Indian Wells in 2023, but he has not triumphed since.

Despite making four double faults and 28 unforced errors, Shelton showed just how strong he is on defence during serve as he saved nine of the 11 break points he faced.