MUNICH, April 16, 2026
Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev were knocked out in the first round of the doubles event at the BMW Open by Bitpanda ATP 500 tournament in Munich, falling 6-3, 6-3 to second seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul on Thursday. The French pair needed just one hour and six minutes to secure victory.
Melo and Zverev struggled to find their rhythm throughout the match, with their opponents taking control early in both sets. Doumbia and Reboul converted both of their break-point opportunities in the opening set, breaking in the third and ninth games. The Brazilian-German duo had a chance to respond in the eighth game but were unable to capitalize.
In the second set, Melo and Zverev showed some resistance, saving break points in the fourth and sixth games. However, the Frenchmen broke decisively in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead and then held serve to close out the match with another 6-3 scoreline.
“It didn’t work out for us today. They played very well and managed to neutralize our game,” Melo said afterwards. “We had a few chances to get back into the match, but they were in front from the start and played better overall. In the end, it came down to small details, but that’s part of the game. Now it’s about continuing to train this week and preparing for Madrid, our next tournament.”
The Munich appearance marked the fifth tournament Melo and Zverev have played together this season. The pair previously competed in Acapulco and at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo, where they have already celebrated a title together in Mexico. They are set to reunite next week at the Madrid Masters.
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For Melo, the tournament in Munich was his seventh appearance at the event and part of a remarkable 20th season on the ATP Tour. The 42-year-old has amassed 673 career wins from 1,135 matches and currently sits at No. 43 in the ATP Doubles Rankings.
One of the most decorated doubles players in the sport, Melo holds the Brazilian record with 42 ATP titles, including two Grand Slam triumphs at Roland Garros (2015) and Wimbledon (2017), as well as nine Masters 1000 crowns. He also spent 56 weeks as World No. 1 — the only Brazilian in history to achieve that feat — and remained inside the Top 10 for eight consecutive seasons.
Despite the early exit in Munich, Melo and Zverev now turn their attention to Madrid, where they will look to bounce back and build on their growing partnership.
