Philipp Kohlschreiber overcame a dogged Dominic Thiem to win his third title in Munich on Sunday at the BMW Open by FWU AG 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(4).

Thiem erased two match points at 4-5 in the third set, but in the tie-break, a backhand volley to the open court gave the German his seventh career ATP World Tour title and his first of the season.

The 32 year old had not dropped a set in his three prior matches in Munich before Sunday’s final, which featured Thiem consistently making the German work for every point.

Henri Kontinen and John Peers clinched their second title of 2016 at the BMW Open by FWU AG on Sunday in Munich. The third seeds survived a tight championship match over second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.

Very little separated the two teams in the opening set, with Kontinen and Peers winning 25 points compared to 23 for Cabal and Farah. A lone break of serve was all Kontinen and Peers needed to take the set. In the second set, the Colombians saved all four break points against them and utilized their only break point opportunity to bring the championship to a Match Tie-break.

The Finnish-Australian duo saved their best tennis for the final stages of the match. Landing 89 per cent of their first serves in play, they continued to put pressure on their opponents and eventually clinched the title.

“We played them two weeks ago in Monte-Carlo and we knew it was going to be a tough match. They’re a very tough team, especially on clay courts, and they never let you off easy,” said Kontinen. “We came into the match knowing we were going to have to work hard and that it was going to be a tough battle, but we played well when it mattered most.

Peers added, “This week tested us mentally and it was great to be able to put on a good performance. We’ve been starting to play some good tennis over the last few weeks and putting together a really good partnership. If we can carry this form through, it could be a fun couple of weeks leading into the French. 

This is Kontinen’s first title in Munich, while Peers previously won this event in 2014 with Colin Fleming. Kontinen is 8-3 in ATP World Tour finals, while Peers improves to 8-10. They took home €25,070 and 250 points.

Cabal and Farah were looking for their third ATP World Tour title of 2016, having won this February in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. Farah is 6-10 in finals, while Cabal dropped to 6-12. The pair leave Munich with €13,170 and 150 points.

Both teams are competing next at the Mutua Madrid Open. Kontinen and Peers play Alexandr Dolgopolov and Bernard Tomic in the first round, while Cabal and Farah take on Thomaz Bellucci and Leonardo Mayer in their opening match.

Grigor Dimitrov and Diego Schwartzman will square off for the first time on Sunday, with the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open title on the line.

In his second straight semi-final appearance in Istanbul, second seed Dimitrov advanced one step further, downing Karlovic 7-6(0), 7-6(2) in one hour and 41 minutes. The Bulgarian reached his eighth ATP World Tour final and will vie for his fifth title and first since prevailing on the grass of London/Queen’s Club in 2014.

“The result speaks for itself against a tricky opponent,” said Dimitrov. “I was patient and took my chances. I think I did well today. In the tie-breaks it was important to be focused and composed and put the ball in play. Today, I made good returns when I had to and once you have a mini-break things are just brighter.”

Dimitrov had the upper hand from the start in both tie-breaks, maintaining an ultra-aggressive stance against Karlovic’s mammoth serve. A double fault would give Dimitrov the opening tie-break 7-0 and he would not disappoint in the second, rifling a return winner down the line to seal the victory.

Dimitrov was unflappable on serve, firing 10 aces and winning 90 per cent (46/51) of first serve points. He saved the lone break point of the match, in the fifth game of the first set.

In the second semi-final, Schwartzman battled deep into the night to down countryman Federico Delbonis under the lights at the Garanti Koza Arena. He triumphed over the fourth seed 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 after two hours and 16 minutes.

“It’s been a great week for me,” said Schwartzman, who stunned top seed Bernard Tomic in the second round and saved one match point in beating Damir Dzumhur on Friday. “It’s a dream week. I tried to be focused from the baseline and play more aggressive today. When I broke his serve in the second set, that was the key for the match.

“Tomorrow it’s going to be a tough match. Grigor is an amazing player. I need to recover fast now.”

Schwartzman rebounded nicely after being broken while serving for the first set at 5-4. He would relinquish the opener in a tie-break, but kept his focus, dropping just five games the rest of match. A drop volley winner would secure the decisive break for 3-1 in the third set and a forehand long from Delbonis clinched the victory on his first match point.

It was the 23-year-old’s first win in three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings. He will look to pull double duty on Sunday, seeking his maiden ATP World Tour singles final against Dimitrov, while battling for the doubles crown alongside countryman Andres Molteni.

The year’s #NextGen final at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Tallahassee, Florida, which saw Quentin Halys prevail over Frances Tiafoe, could eventually lead to him continuing the trend of future Top 10 players who made their breakthrough at this tournament.

Over its 17-year history, the tournament has helped launch or re-launch the careers of some of the most recognizable names in tennis. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, John Isner and Mardy Fish all eventually moved into the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings after lifting the winner’s trophy in Tallahassee.

“We have a pretty illustrious list of champions,” said Tournament Director Karen Vogter. “Fish reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final (2007 Australian Open) after he came here and won our tournament in 2006. When Tsonga got to the Australian Open final (in 2008) after winning our tournament in 2007, I think that’s when people here understood that this was the place to see the future champions of the game. We’d love to see the next young champion come out of here.”

The consistently strong field isn’t the only reason why some players competing this week have returned to Tallahassee for several years. The packed crowds that can be seen for each night session and the helpfulness of the local community, which includes more than 300 volunteers for the tournament each year, have also proven to be an appealing draw.

“We try to take care of everyone that comes here,” said Vogter. “I think that Southern hospitality is something the players appreciate. Moving to Forest Meadows (in 2005) also had a huge impact on our tournament because it’s the heart of tennis in Tallahassee. We’ve seen a marked increase in our crowds and support since then.”

The Challenger has also provided a meaningful impact on Tallahassee beyond the tennis court. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Vogter Neuro-Intensive Care Unit at Tallahassee Memoiral HealthCare, named in honor of her late husband. More than $625,000 has been raised over the last 16 years as a result. In 2010, all ticket sale money began to be donated to the Maria Yealdhall Challenger Tennis Fund, which is used to help build and improve tennis projects and programs throughout the city.

“The money for the endowment is used for educational purposes and to make sure they have the most highly trained staff possible. It’s a high-stress environment, so we hope to improve healthcare by providing additional education that the staff can then share with others,” explained Vogter. “For the tennis fund, we’ve improved different areas of the facilities at Forest Meadows by doing things like resurfacing courts and putting up shade structures on several of them.”

Although 2016 marks yet another successful year in the books for the tournament, Vogter already has plans in place to make things bigger and better. Prize money will increase next year from $50,000 to $75,000 and money has already been allocated to build more Har-Tru courts for the tournament.

“There are definitely improvements that we want to make,” said Vogter.  “We’re all committed to having this tournament return year after year and making it the best event we possibly can.”

Nicolas Almagro will play for a 13^th ATP World Tour title on Sunday at the Millennium Estoril Open. Almagro overcame an in-form Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5 in 73 minutes to reach his second final of the year. The 30-year-old Spaniard, who lost to Dominic Thiem in the Buenos Aires final, will attempt to win a first tour-level title since Nice in May 2012.

The big-hitting Almagro, who only dropped five points on his first serve in the match, fired seven aces on a breezy day against the Aussie to bring his tally to a tournament-leading 33. The Next Generation star broke Almagro twice, but surrendered his serve four times to succumb in straight sets. Kyrgios, currently a career-best No. 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, was bidding to win his second ATP World Tour title after scoring his maiden tournament win in Marseille in February (d. Cilic).

“I thought he played better in the conditions today,” Kyrgios said. “I didn’t serve great but he was too good. For a first week on the clay, it wasn’t too bad. I played two quality matches.”

Facing Almagro in the final will be countryman Pablo Carreno Busta, who saw off third seed Benoit Paire 6-3 6-3. Carreno Busta failed to serve out the match at 5-2 in the second set, but recovered in the following game to even the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry at 2-2.

“[Pablo] was better. It was so windy today,” Paire, who landed just 35 per cent of first serves in the match, said. “The key is to be at my best at the [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 events, and there are two coming up. I will try my best to have results at these events.”

Dominic Thiem will go for his third ATP World Tour title of the season on Sunday against Philipp Kohlschreiber, who will be trying to win his third home title at the BMW Open by FWU AG in Munich.

Thiem overcame #NextGen star Alexander Zverev on Saturday 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to reach Sunday’s final, which will be the seventh of his career. The Austrian erased eight of 11 break points faced and broke the 19-year-old German six times to prevail.

“It’s unbelievable how he plays at 19 years old,” Thiem said. “I lost the first set and then I changed a little bit… more slice, more drop shots, and I think this was one of the key points to win it.”

The 22 year old, who won titles earlier this year in Acapulco and Buenos Aires, now stands alone atop the ATP World Tour match wins chart this season (29-7). He had been tied with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Thiem, who is 13-2 on clay this season, lost to Kohlschreiber 6-0, 7-6(6) during their previous meeting last year on clay at the Generali Open. Kohlschreiber dismissed No. 5 seed Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and four minutes on Saturday. “I was happy to make the big points today,” he said. “Very successful week, very solid performance so far.”

The German erased all three break points faced and won almost 90 per cent of his first-serve points to move into his fifth Munich final. “He’s had a huge season so far. He’s a very hot player, very tough to play against him,” Kohlschreiber said of Thiem. “I also feel very well… I hope we’re going to see a great final tomorrow.”

Fourth seeds Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky will play for their third team title on Sunday at the Millennium Estoril Open. The Americans downed second seeds Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi 6-4, 7-5 in 74 minutes. They landed 71 per cent of first serves and saved six of eight break points faced. Last year, Lipsky and Huey teamed to win the inaugural edition of the Estoril Open.

“We are really happy to be into the finals,” Butorac said. “Today was a really tricky match because the winds were so extreme. Scott has [won in Estoril before], so I’m just trying to follow his lead. He told me that on his day off he was looking at property in the area.”

In the final, Butorac/Lipsky will take on top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski, who cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Croats Borna Coric and Franko Skugor in just 51 minutes. The Poles did not face a break point and won 80 per cent (8/10) of second serve return points.

Cipolla/Sela Into Istanbul Final

The doubles final is set at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open, with first-time pairing Flavio Cipolla and Dudi Sela booking their spot in the title match opposite the all-Argentine duo of Andres Molteni and Diego Schwartzman.

Individually, 32-year-old Cipolla and 31-year-old Sela are appearing in their first doubles final on the ATP World Tour. They have not dropped a set en route, ousting third seeds Guillermo Duran and Maximo Gonzalez 7-6(5), 6-1 on Saturday. The Italian-Israeli tandem needed one hour and 26 minutes to seal the victory, saving all five break points faced while converting two of six chances of their own.

Munich Doubles Final Set

In Munich, the No. 3 seeds Henri Kontinen of Finland and John Peers of Australia beat Oliver Marach of Austria and Fabrice Martin of France 6-2, 6-3. Kontinen/Peers will play the No. 2 seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah of Colombia in the BMW Open by FWU AG doubles final.

“Today was a very solid day for us,” Peers said. “It was great to play back in the sunshine and play at a good level. It’s a lot more fun than playing in the snow. We both played good tennis and it allows us to have a shot at the title tomorrow.”

It’s not unheard of for a tennis player to come out of retirement and either dabble on the ATP Challenger Tour or make a full comeback, but Peter Luczak is breaking new ground by coming out of retirement and continuing to take home trophies.

The 36-year-old Luczak, affectionately known as “Looch,” retired from pro tennis in 2012 after a successful career that saw peak him at No. 64 in singles in the Emirates ATP Rankings, in addition to winning 12 ATP Challenger Tour singles titles. After spending the next three years serving as a coach and hitting partner for former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, he’s now been working with rising Australians Marc Polmans and Blake Mott.

While traveling with Mott last spring for a series of Futures events in Italy, he teamed up with him in doubles for a one-off tournament and the pair won the title. This week at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Tallahassee, Florida, Luczak and 18-year-old Polmans beat two seeds on their way to the doubles final, where they narrowly lost to No. 1 seeds Dennis Novikov and Julio Peralta. Although Luczak was delighted at the result, he admitted that playing this week wasn’t part of the plan for him.

“I was watching Blake and the next thing I know, Marc comes up to me and says, “Mate, we’re playing,” said Luczak. “I still like to stay reasonably fit and there are a lot of good young players I can hit with at the National Academy in Melbourne (Australia). Marc did most of the work this week, though. I just came along for the ride.”

Polmans won the boys’ doubles title at the Australian Open in 2015 and has quickly proven that he could become an established player on tour. The teenager has already won nine Futures doubles titles, but his run this week with Luczak in Tallahassee is his biggest result to date. Polmans is far from content with his doubles success, though, and said that Luczak has been helping him develop the tools needed to produce equally strong results in singles.

“Peter’s a really good clay court player, so he’s got a lot of tips on getting shape and depth on my shots. He’s got a pretty strong forehand as well, so he’s also trying to show me that,” said Polmans. “He’s teaching me a lot out there with the doubles this week and he’s calling the shots, so he can help me out on the pressure situations.”

It’s only natural to wonder if Luczak and Polmans will team up for more events this year after their surprise run, but Luczak was quick to diffuse any possible talk of even a part-time comeback.

“That’s my schedule these days: one tournament a year,” he joked. “I’m lucky to be coaching two kids who work hard and want to get better. I’m still very competitive and will leave it all out there when I get a chance to compete, but I’m very happy coaching these days.”

Roger Federer could meet Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open as the Swiss star continues his return to the ATP World Tour. Nadal also will have a bigger task on his mind in Madrid: Fighting off World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to become the outright ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title leader with 29 championships.

Main-draw pairings were announced on Saturday in Madrid, and the storylines abound: How will Federer do in his second tournament back? Can Nadal continue his title run on clay? How will Djokovic bounce back from Monte-Carlo? And how will Andy Murray, the Madrid defending champion, fare?

All of the Big Four, though, could have their hands full in the early stages of the fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the season. Djokovic, who will be playing for the first time since losing in the second round at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, receives a first-round bye but could face #NextGen star Borna Coric or Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in the second round. Coric, No. 40 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, reached the Grand Prix Hassan II final on clay and fell in the quarter-finals on Friday at the Millennium Estoril Open. Almagro, former World No. 9, was the runner-up on clay in Buenos Aires and plays Nick Kyrgios on Saturday to advance to the final in Estoril.

The first seeded player Djokovic could face is No. 15 Roberto Bautista Agut, who reached the third round in Monte-Carlo before falling to Federer. In the quarter-finals, a potential match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could await Djokovic. Tsonga, the No. 7 seed, could have to get past No. 11 seed Milos Raonic, though, before meeting Djokovic.

If the Serb and the Frenchman play, it would be their 22^nd meeting. Djokovic leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 15-6, which includes a 2014 win at Roland Garros, the last time they played on clay. In the semi-finals, Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka, the No. 4 seed, could meet for the 24^th time, with Djokovic leading their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 19-4. Wawrinka won their most recent meeting on clay at last year’s Roland Garros final.

In the bottom half of the draw, Nadal, the No. 5 seed, will try to keep his 10-match win streak alive against Serb Viktor Troicki or Russian Andrey Kuznetsov in the second round. (Nadal receives a first-round bye.) In the third round, the four-time Madrid champion could face No. 12 seed David Goffin of Belgium. The 25 year old, who’s reached a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 13, made the semi-finals at two Masters 1000 events, Indian Wells and Miami, but has yet to replicate that success on clay. Goffin lost in the third round in Monte-Carlo to Spaniard Marcel Granollers and fell on Friday to #NextGen star Alexander Zverev at the BMW Open by FWU AG.

Should Nadal, who’s going for his third consecutive clay-court title, meet Federer, the No. 3 seed, in the quarter-finals, it’d mark the 35^th meeting in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. Nadal holds a 23-11 edge, including a straight-set win the last time they played on clay (Rome 2013).

But Federer hardly has early walkovers. After a first-round bye, the Swiss could meet Portugal’s Joao Sousa or France’s Nicolas Mahut. In the third round, the three-time Madrid champ could meet No. 14 seed Dominic Thiem, who’s already won a clay-court title this year (Buenos Aires) and advanced to the Munich final on Saturday to improve to 13-2 on the red dirt this year. Thiem faces Juan Martin del Potro in the first round.

Murray, who beat Nadal last year to win his first Masters 1000 title on clay in Madrid, could face Canada’s Vasek Pospisil in the second round. If the seeds play out, Murray will then meet No. 16 seed Gilles Simon. In the quarter-finals, Murray, who’s going for his first title of 2016, could meet No. 8 seed Tomas Berdych. Murray, No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, and Berdych have played 13 times, with Murray leading their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 7-6. The last time they played on clay, however, Berdych won in straight sets (Madrid 2013).