MUNICH, April 18, 2025
Temperatures may have dropped in Munich, but the tennis action at the BMW Open by bitpanda certainly heated things up for the spectators at the MTTC Iphitos.
Friday featured the quarterfinal matches, and Alexander Zverev got his revenge after losing to Tallon Griekspoor at Indian Wells last month, battling past the Dutchman in another epic encounter between the two. Zverev came back from a set and a break down to win 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 6-4 after three hours and 14 minutes.
In front of a capacity crowd on Center Court, the top seed of the ATP 500 event broke his rival’s serve two times and won 52 per cent of the total points played.
Revenge is a dish best served after 3 hours and 14 minutes @AlexZverev avenges his loss at Indian Wells by coming back to beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-7 7- 6 6-4 #BMWOpen pic.twitter.com/qntWss3pi8
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 18, 2025
“Me and Tallon, we kind of always have weird matches,” said Zverev. “In Indian Wells I was serving for the match and lost my serve, then he was serving for the match and lost his serve. So, you never know with us two. It’s always entertaining, we always go the distance, and I’m happy with the win.”
Zverev has reached his second semi-final of the season, his fourth in Munich. The Hamburg native, who turns 29 on Sunday, is still in the hunt for his third BMW Open title.
“I’m extremely happy. Finally, I won a close one,” said Zverev. “I’ve lost a few of those in the past few months and I always said, ‘I need to get one of these’. I did today. I’m extremely happy with how I hung in there, especially in the third set, being 0/40 down in my second service game. I’m proud to win this match and looking forward to the next two, hopefully.”
The World No. 3 will be challenged by Hungarian Fabian Marozsan on Saturday. The 25-year-old Hungarian has advanced to his first ATP Tour semi-final following a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Zizou Bergs from Belgium in one hour and 39 minutes.
Shelton soars into semis
Meanwhile, Ben Shelton’s decision not to play on home soil in Houston, where he was the defending champion, and coming to Europe might be paying off. The 22-year-old US-American defeated Luciano Darderi of Italy 6-4, 6-3. Shelton, the No. 2 seed in the capital city of Bavaria, struck seven aces and won 77 per cent of his first-service points to advance in one hour and 13 minutes.
Second clay court semi-final ✅@Benshelton books his spot in the business end as he beats the in form Darderi 6-4 6-3 #BMWOpen pic.twitter.com/uVAlWDy1VI
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 18, 2025
“I felt good. I had a lot of fun. It was a little bit colder today, a little easier to control the ball, and I was comfortable in the rallies. I was enjoying the type of tennis that was being played. I am really happy to be in the semifinals,” Shelton said.
As he continues adapting to a new surface, Shelton highlighted the contrast between the clay courts in Europe and those back home in the United States.
“I’m enjoying it. I feel that I’m learning a lot. And the clay is very different,” the World No. 15 explained. “When it’s hot in the United States, I live in Florida or you’re playing in Texas, the clay gets really dry. It’s fast. The balls are fast. You get really high bounces. If it’s windy, the clay just blows off the court. Here you have cooler conditions.“
Shelton has become the first US-American to reach an ATP 500 semi-final on the red dirt since the series was introduced in 2009. The big goal for the youngster, however, is to win Grand Slam titles.
“That’s where I want to be,” he said. “I’m just going to try to continue to get better. You never really know until you do it. I just want to get more and more consistent and have some of those deep runs. And at that point, confidence builds. I just want to be doing a little bit better than the year before, which I didn’t have a terrible clay season last year. It wasn’t great. But third round at the French Open, which last year I was happy about. Keep going one step further. I think tennis is a very variable sport. The greatest clay-court players are the best at adapting. I’m just trying to learn from the greats.”
Up next for Shelton will be fifth-seeded Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, who edged past Belgian veteran David Goffin 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 15 minutes.
Final of the Allianz Para Trophy set
On the second matchday of the Allianz Para Trophy, the top two seeds lived up to expectations. World No. 1 Alfie Hewett of Great Britain delivered a commanding performance, defeating Belgian Joachim Gerard 6-3, 6-1. Gustavo Fernandez from Argentina, currently ranked No. 4 in the world, came through a tight first set before dominating the second in a 7-6, 6-0 win over Frenchman Gaetan Menguy.
The result sets up a highly anticipated final between two of the sport’s biggest stars – a rematch of the inaugural Allianz Para Trophy final four years ago. On that occasion, it was Fernandez who came out on top. Fans can look forward to another thrilling showdown as the two meet again for the title.
