MunichShelton and Cerundolo set last-four clash
April 18, 2025
BMW Open by Bitpanda
Alexander Zverev defeats Tallon Griekspoor on Friday afternoon in Munich. By Andy West
Alexander Zverev stepped up his game just in time to keep alive his hopes of a record-equalling title on Friday at the BMW Open by Bitpanda.
The home favourite and top seed rallied to a 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 6-4 quarter-final victory against Tallon Griekspoor at the clay-court ATP 500. Griekspoor served for the match at 5-4 in the second set before Zverev, who is bidding to equal his countryman Philipp Kohlschreiber’s record tally of three Munich titles, dug deep to forge a remarkable comeback win.
Sascha gets his payback! 🎯
After 3 hours of pure drama, @AlexZverev battles through Griekspoor 6-7(6) 7-6(3) 6-4 to reach the Munich semis!@BMWOpen500 | #BMWOpen pic.twitter.com/9kV1k7gdsN
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 18, 2025
“I’m extremely happy. Finally, I won a close one,” said Zverev, who went 6-6 between reaching January’s Australian Open final and the start of Munich. “I’ve lost a few of those in the past few months and I always said, ‘I need to get one of these’. I did today. I’m extremely happy with how I hung in there, especially in the third set, being 0/40 down in my second service game. I’m proud to win this match and looking forward to the next two, hopefully.”
In a hard-fought opening, Griekspoor saved the only two break points of the first set in the 11th game, and he then earned four minibreaks against Zverev’s serve to clinch the subsequent tie-break. He carried that momentum to a break of serve in the opening game of the second set, but Griekspoor delivered a sloppy game behind serve at 5-4 to gift Zverev a lifeline.
Roared on my a capacity crowd, home favourite Zverev immediately appeared a rejuvenated figure. He won five of the final six points in the second-set tie-break before sealing his victory after notching the only break of the deciding set in the seventh game.
Both Zverev and Griekspoor tallied 37 winners in what was yet another topsy-turvy addition to their rivalry. With his three-hour, 14-minute win, Zverev increased his Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against the Dutchman to 7-2.
“Me and Tallon, we kind of always have weird matches,” said the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “In Indian Wells I was serving for the match and lost my serve, then he was serving for the match and lost his serve. So you never know with us two. It’s always entertaining, we always go the distance, and I’m happy with the win.”
Now into his fourth semi-final at the BMW Open by Bitpanda, which is this year being held as an ATP 500 for the first time, Zverev will next take on Fabian Marozsan, who defeated Zizou Bergs 6-3, 7-6(4).
Earlier on Friday, second seed Ben Shelton and fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo wasted little time setting a semi-final showdown. Shelton eased past Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-3 to become the first American to reach a semi-final at a clay ATP 500 since the series was introduced in 2009.
Shelton converted three of six break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to snapping Darderi’s seven-match winning streak. The big-serving lefty wrapped his victory in just 74 minutes.
Cerundolo required just one minute longer to register his 6-2, 6-4 triumph against David Goffin. He will now seek to avenge defeat to Shelton in the pair’s only previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting in Indian Wells last year.
