MUNICH, April 18, 2023
Alexander Ritschard headlined Tuesday’s first-round action at the BMW Open by American Express by earning his second tour-level match win of the season. The 29-year-old Swiss qualifier edged out Jan-Lennard Stuff of Germany, winning 7-5, 7-5.
On another cloudy and chilly day at the MTTC Iphitos in Munich with temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius, Ritschard, who claimed his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Hamburg last year, withstood 10 aces and broke his rival’s serve three times to secure victory in exactly two hours of play.
WAHOOWA!!! Alexander Ritschard advances to the second round of the ATP 250 tourney in Munich with a 7-5, 7-5 win against #100 Jan-Lennard Struff #GoHoos⚔️ https://t.co/WYXVvsWgHB
— Virginia Men’s Tennis (@UVAMensTennis) April 18, 2023
“I don’t have many words. It was crazy. I was just trying to focus on every point and it worked for me today,” said Ritschard, who played college tennis at the University of Virginia and helped the Cavaliers to clinch the NCAA team titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The World No. 209 will next take on US-American Marcos Giron.
“I know him. He is also a former college player,” said Ritschard about his upcoming task. “It’s not going to be easy. Hopefully I can get some good practice before and have a good match again.”
Thiem advances
Dominic Thiem benefited from the retirement of Constant Lestienne. The 29-year-old Austrian was leading 6-3 when the Frenchman was forced to stop playing due to a left calf injury.
“Only one set, but it’s pretty cold so everyone can go home a bit earlier,” Thiem joked during his on-court interview. “It was a surprising end, not the one I wanted but that’s okay. Let’s move on to the next one. I love to play here and I am very happy to be in the second round.”
Thiem will next face No. 8 seed Marc-Andrea Huesler from Switzerland, a 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 winner over Briton Kyle Edmund.
Otte back to winning ways
Oscar Otte, a semi-finalist at the BMW Open by American Express last year, knocked off No. 5 seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina 6-3, 7-5. The 29-year-old German sent down five aces and won 74 per cent of his first-service points to prevail after one hour and 26 minutes.
“This is a very important win for me,” said Otte, who had only won four matches this season before coming to Munich. “The last weeks and months were not too great. I knew that if I have a good start here and the crowd helps me, I will get my self confidence back. That’s exactly what happened today. I am just super happy to be through.”
Up next for the World No. 94 will be #NextGenATP Italian Flavio Cobolli. “We played in Bari two years ago but on hard court in different conditions. It won’t be an easy match for sure,” said Otto.
Fucsovics denies Rehberg’s first tour-level match win, faces Fritz next
In his fourth appearance on the ATP Tour, German teenager Max Hans Rehberg was close to earn his first match win. In front of packed stands on Court 1, the 19-year-old World No. 412 missed two match points in the tie-break of the second set against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics and eventually lost 6-4, 6-7(8), 3-6 after two hours and 38 minutes.
🇩🇪 teen Max Hans Rehberg (19Y, World No. 412) was close to earn his first tour-level match win but misses two MP in the tie-break of the second set and eventually loses 6-4 6-7(8) 3-6 to Marton Fucsovics. #ATPTour #ThisIsMunich @BMWOpen23 pic.twitter.com/g3hkp6ppIJ
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) April 18, 2023
Fucsovics will next face second-seeded Taylor Fritz. The 25-year-old US-American met the media ahead of his Munich debut and shared his first impressions.
“It’s extremely nice here and I am excited to play,” Fritz told the press. “I played in Barcelona in the past and I wanted to play here. There is a bit of altitude here, which is good for my game and I thought it would be also a good preparation for Madrid.”
