MUNICH, May 5, 2017
Local favourite Alexander Zverev and Roberto Bautista-Agut of Spain, headlined Friday’s quarterfinal action at the BMW Open by FWU. The pair will next square off for a spot in Munich’s title match.
Alexander Zverev
Zverev emerged victorious from the all-German-affair with Jan-Lennard Struff, rallying 3-6, 7-6, 7-6. The 20-year-old withstood 12 aces, firing 14 of his own to convert his first match point after two hours and 13 minutes.
“Struffi surprised me with his aggressive returns in the early stages of the match. I needed some time to get used to it and then it became a good match,” Zverev told and added:
“I didn’t want to play a in nice way, I just wanted to win but Struffi is in great shape and I think that he can win his first ATP title this year.”
Read: Hanfmann Enjoyed Fantastic Week In Munich
Roberto Bautista-Agut
Roberto Bautista-Agut ended the fantastic run of German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann by securing a 6-3, 6-3 win in 67 minutes. The second seed from Spain, who also reached the semi-finals here two years ago, saved the only break point he faced, capitalizing on three of his own to prevail in 67 minutes.
“I am getting used to the conditions here in Munich. I am very confident playing in altitude,” Bautista-Agut told.
“I didn’t know too much about my opponent. I had the chance to see him playing on Wednesday. I knew that he had a great start into the year, climbing up the rankings very fast, but I played a solid match.”
Bautista-Agut, who captured his fifth ATP World Tour title earlier this year in Chennai, leads 2-0 in head-to-head records over Zverev. Their last meeting took place in Rotterdam in 2015. The Spaniard won both encounters in straight sets.
“It will be a completely different match. At our last meeting I was ranked about No. 200 in the world,” stated Zverev, who has become the top NextGenATP star, ranked No. 21 in the meantime. Zverev will appear in the semi-finals in Munich for the second straight year.
“Winning a title in Germany would mean a lot to me. I will never forget clinching my first ATP title and I think the same applies for lifting your first trophy on home soil,” the Hamburg native is looking forward to the clash on Saturday.
Pella Wins All-Argentine-Battle
Guido Pella
In the second semi-final, Guido Pella will take on either 2014 champion Martin Klizan from Slovakia or Korean youngster Hyeon Chung. The match was suspended with Chung leading 6-40, 3-6, 3-2 due to darkness.
Pella battled past fellow Argentine Horacio Zeballos, winning 6-3, 6-7, 7-6. The World No. 158 won five points more than Zeballos and sealed victory in two hours and 38 minutes. Pella’s last semi-final on the ATP World Tour also came as qualifier in Düsseldorf four years ago.
