A picture-perfect final at the BMW Open by Bitpanda - Alexander Zverev meets Ben Shelton on Easter Sunday
Krawietz/Pütz play for the doubles title - and Alfie Hewett dominates at the Allianz Para Trophy, winning the singles and doubles titles
The BMW Open by Bitpanda has its dream final! Huge atmosphere and the number one of the tournament, Alexander Zverev, is in the final!
He went into the final against Fabian Marozsan from Hungary as the big favourite, but the match was not a walkover, at least in the first set. The world number 77 was able to level the match, played aggressively and forced Alexander Zverev into a tie-break. He played resolutely and with a lot of pressure and won it with a commanding 7:3.
The second set was evenly poised again until 4:3, then suddenly the Hungarian's serve was gone, he double-faulted twice and Zverev didn't miss the opportunity, got the break and didn't let the match slip away. The atmosphere boiled over when Zverev converted his third match point after 1:31 hours to make it 7:6 and 6:3. He is really looking forward to the final match on his 28th birthday: "I much prefer playing tennis to having the day off and this could really be a great day. I'm definitely going to give it my all."
His opponent in the final is the tournament's number two, the American Ben Shelton, who defeated the Argentinian clay court specialist Francisco Cerundolo in a thrilling three-set match, although the 22-year-old had lost the first set by a clear 2:6. Shelton took the second in a tight tie-break and then the third, in which he was able to rely on his serve in particular, 6:4. The American was able to convert his second match point and moves into his fourth final on the ATP Tour: "This is a massive win for me and I'm very happy about it. I love every match here in Munich," said Shelton. As of today, he has the support of his girlfriend, international footballer Trinity Rodman, daughter of former basketball star Dennis Rodman. She has come all the way to Munich.
Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz are also playing for the tournament win at the BMW Open by Bitpanda. The German doubles pairing won an exciting match against the Belgian-Polish pairing of Sander Gille and Jan Zielinski to kick off Easter Saturday. After losing the first set 4:6, the pair were able to turn the match around with the support of the numerous spectators and win in a match tie-break (4:6; 6:3; 10:8): "Playing the final here on Easter Sunday is really something special," said Kevin Krawietz on centre court. And Tim Pütz thanked the spectators for the "great atmosphere."
Should Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz prevail against Andre Goransson (SWE) and Sem Verbeek (NED), it would (also) be the third BMW Open title for the Coburg-born driver. Krawietz won in 2021 alongside Wesley Koolhof (NED) and in 2022 with Andreas Mies.
The fourth edition of the Allianz Para Trophy has already been decided. The number one in the world rankings prevailed in the duel between the two top favourites. Alfie Hewett (GBR) prevailed in two sets against Gustavo Fernandez, the number two from Argentina, in a high-class final (7:6; 6:3). The 27-year-old didn't have much time to celebrate, because shortly afterwards he also won the doubles title with his partner Gordon Reid (GBR). In three sets against Joachim Gerard (BEL) and Maikel Scheffers (NED) (6:0, 5:7; 10:4). "I'm very happy, it was a great day for me today," said Hewett after his two titles.
Two top U15 talents from TC Großhesselohe will face each other in the final of the Rudi Berger Cup by FILA on Sunday: Lorenzo Rauner and Samuel Gampenrieder. Both went into the semi-finals on Saturday as favourites and both won their matches with ease. First, Rauner beat his opponent Jannek Ettinger (TC Neunkirchen Brand) 6:4, 6:4, then Gampenrieder prevailed 7:5, 6:7 and 6:1 against Benjamin Schmidt (TC Münchberg). The final of the BTV invitational tournament is not only about the traditional trophy (named after the former tournament director of the BMW Open), but also about a wildcard for a top-class ITF youth tournament in Fürth in July. The match will be played from 12.30 pm on Court No. 1.
One day before the final, the "Future Aces" programme, which was initiated together with partners and is designed for the long term, can also announce a great interim result. This initiative gives socially disadvantaged children and young people from Munich access to tennis and is intended to give them better prospects for the future. Title partner BMW, MTTC Iphitos and organiser MMP have joined forces for "Future Aces". Every ace in the tournament results in a donated coaching lesson at MTTC Iphitos for children and young people with difficult starting conditions. So far, 347 aces have been served during the tournament week.
Photo credit: The attached photos may be used free of charge for editorial purposes in connection with the BMW Open by Bitpanda. Credit: “BMW Open by Bitpanda”