MUNICH, May 5, 2019

Cristian Garin is the champion of the 2019 BMW Open by FWU. The 22-year-old from Chile fought past Matteo Berrettini of Italy, winning 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(1) in Sunday’s final.

On another chilly day in Munich, Berrettini first had to play his semi-final match against No. 4 seed Roberto Bautista Agut from Spain before he took to Center Court for the title match. The 23-year-old Italian beat the Spaniard 6-4, 6-2 and had more than three hours time to recover in between matches.

Garin set the tone early in the final, but lost his serve in the eighth game of the second set and Berrettini pushed the match the distance. The South American withstood 10 aces from the last week’s Budapest champion, breaking Berretini’s serve three times. Garin was the dominant player in the tie-break to secure victory in two hours and eight minutes.

Game, Set & Match @Garin_Cris 🙌#BMWOpenbyFWU pic.twitter.com/aMzVkoV1sg

— BMW Open by FWU (@BMWOpenbyFWU) 5. Mai 2019

“It’s been a perfect week for me here,” Garin said after lifting his second trophy on the ATP Tour following his maiden triumph in Houston earlier this season. “I like the conditions here, it suits my game pretty well. Munich has become one of my favourite cities now and I would like to come back next year.”

He takes away from Bavaria €90,390 in prize money, 250 ATP-Ranking points, a brand new BWM Z4 and, last but not least, a traditional Lederhosen.

First Chilean to receive the Lederhosen in Munich. It fits! #BMWOpenbyFWU pic.twitter.com/POyq1sAiS2

— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) 5. Mai 2019

“I will have a rest for the next two weeks and will return to the courts in Geneva. This is my first year on the ATP Tour and I need to be in good shape at every tournament. Now, I feel a bit tired after a couple of tough matches and I need some to time to recover,” Garin said.

Nielsen/Pütz win first team title

Earlier in the day, Frederik Nielsen of Denmark and Tim Pütz of Germany took the doubles trophies. Teaming up for the first time, the unseeded pair defeated Marcelo Demoliner of Brazil and Divij Sharan from India 6-4, 6-2. The final lasted one hour and four minutes.

Please meet the #BMWOpenbyFWU doubles champions 2019: @GoldenSetTim & @freddienielsen🏆 The German-Danish team beats @mdemoliner89 & @divijsharan 6:4, 6:2. Big Congrats guys!🙌 pic.twitter.com/FTQUOSBZmw

— BMW Open by FWU (@BMWOpenbyFWU) 5. Mai 2019

“I invested a lot in my clay-court doubles, playing the South American swing and I feel the benefits now,” Nielsen said after winning his second ATP title. The 35-year-old from Denmark also won at Wimbledon 2012 alongside Jonathan Marray.

“I was lucky to get a great partner in Tim, who I get along great on and off the court. We share a similar playing mentality. After a bit of a rusty start today, we stayed calm and I think it was a pretty flawless and solid performance.”

Pütz also clinched his second title on home soil following his triumph with Philipp Petzschner in Stuttgart last year. “For me playing in front of your home crowd is the best,” Pütz added. Nielsen and Pütz will travel to France, being the top seeds at the ATP Challenger in Aix-en-Provence but won’t stick together for the rest of the season.

“If there will be a chance to team up again later in the year, we will pick up the opportunity,” Pütz said.

Munich moments

• 34,480 spectators attended the matches throughout the week. “We don’t strive for a record attendance. We are more interested in people to go home with a smile and like to come back,” the tournament’s organizer Michael Mronz said during the final news conference.

• As presenting sponsor FWU and tennis professionals Gael Monfils and Fabio Fognini parted ways last year, Roberto Bautista Agut remains the only brand ambassador for the family-run company. “We are looking for new players to join our team, but it has to fit, and they have to love playing in Munich,” FWU-CEO Dr. Manfred J. Dirrheimer stated.

• Asked about the tough conditions here in Munich, doubles champion Frederik Nielsen said: “When you ask me either to play in windy conditions in Estoril or in the freezing cold of Munich, I prefer to play here.”

Photo Gallery (by Florian Heer)