BMW Open Munich: Zverev meets Shelton in the final
In the two semi-finals of the BMW Open on April 19, the first seed Zverev and the second seed Sheldon came out on top, overcoming their respective opponents and successfully reaching the final.
Zverev, ranked third in the world, won two consecutive years in Munich from 2017 to 2018. This time, he defeated Fabian Mauroran 7-6(3), 6-3 to break into the title race again. The German top seed has a clear goal of equalling compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber's record of three Munich titles.
Zverev showed great strength in the game. Although he missed a break lead in the first set, he quickly responded solidly and won the match in just one hour and 31 minutes. The 27-year-old was firmly in control of the pace from the baseline, with just 13 unforced turnovers, well below Marozan's 28.
"It's been fantastic, the whole week has been fantastic." Zverev, a homegrown player, couldn't hide his excitement when talking about the upgrade to an ATP 500 event, "The crowd enjoyed the weather, the new Centre Court and the new tournament. I'm immersed in it myself and hopefully I'll be able to do better tomorrow. ”
He also said that although he lost focus on his serve in the first set, he thought he was playing quite well overall, and praised his opponent Marozan for his excellent performance, and was happy to advance to the final.
In the other semi-final, the 22-year-old Ben Shelton also made history. He defeated Serundolo 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 to secure his place in the final.
Fritz reached the final here last year, and Shelton became the second American man to reach the final on clay on tour since Andre Agassi won the ATP Masters in Rome in 2002.
In the match, which lasted two hours and seven minutes, Shelton showed a tenacious fighting spirit. In the first set, Serundolo performed well, with a 100% first-serve win rate. But Sheldon wasn't discouraged, and in the second set tie-break, he was just two points away from losing the match twice, but he held his nerve and cashed in his fourth set point. He waited patiently for his chance in the deciding set, capitalized on Serundolo's error in the 10th game to break serve and secure a title shot against Zverev.
"It was a big win for me. Beating an opponent like that on clay gives me a lot of confidence and I'm really happy to reach the final of the ATP 500 in Europe. I love the atmosphere here in Munich and I'm going to do my best tomorrow. ”
Sheldon had suffered back-to-back defeats in Miami and Monte Carlo after reaching the semifinals at Indian Wells, but the promotion moved him up two places to No. 13 in the PIF ATP instant rankings, just one place below his career-high ranking. He also said that there will be more challenges on clay, and that dealing with adversity and making adjustments is the key to becoming a good clay player, and he is trying to learn and improve every day.
The upcoming final is in the spotlight, with Zverev and Sheldon in their different styles but strong strengths, and we all look forward to the winner of the title.
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