Diego Schwartzman earned his first win at the BMW Open by FWU on Tuesday, beating Benoit Paire 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 to reach the second round.

The Argentina Open finalist recorded his 13th victory in 23 tour-level matches this season after one hour and 41 minutes, saving nine of 13 break points to end Paire’s hopes of a debut win in Munich. Schwartzman levels his FedEx ATP Head2Head series at 1-1 against Paire, having lost their only previous meeting at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia last year.

Aiming to reach his fourth tour-level quarter-final of 2019, the 26-year-old will face Houston champion Cristian Garin for a place in the last eight. The Chilean fired eight aces and broke serve on four occasions to defeat Yannick Maden of Germany 6-4, 6-2 in 77 minutes. Schwartzman owns a 1-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Garin.

Three-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber opened his campaign with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Andreas Seppi. The World No. 41, who improved to 34-11 in Munich after 80 minutes, will meet second seed Karen Khachanov in the second round.

In-form Guido Pella dropped just three games to defeat Mischa Zverev 6-2, 6-1. The Brasil Open champion saved all three break points he faced throughout the 53-minute contest and moved through to a second-round encounter against Taro Daniel of Japan.

Former champion Martin Klizan will meet third seed Marco Cecchinato in the second round. The 2014 winner beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and one minute.

Cordoba Open titlist Juan Ignacio Londero defeated German wild card Maximilian Marterer 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to join countrymen Schwartzman and Pella in the second round. The Argentine will meet two-time defending champion Alexander Zverev for a quarter-final spot.

Thiago Monteiro needed just 51 minutes to book a second-round clash against eighth seed Marton Fucsovics. The Brazilian won 80 per cent of service points (28/35) to defeat 2014 semi-finalist Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 6-1.

Did You Know?
Alexander Zverev is aiming to become the first man to win three consecutive titles at the BMW Open by FWU.

One year ago, the Puerto Vallarta Open presentado por La Afición made a dazzling debut on the ATP Challenger Tour. And on Monday, they were recognised with the highest honour on the circuit.

In front of a sold-out crowd on Estadio Puerto Vallarta, ahead of the Day 1 night session, the tournament was presented with the 2018 Challenger of the Year award. Tournament organisers and founders Javier Romero, David Davila and Javier Ramirez received the crystal trophy along with tournament director Adhemar Rodriguez.

The moment has arrived!@PtoVallartaOpen receives its ? for 2018 #ATPChallenger of the Year. pic.twitter.com/sM8FkrkdAc

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 30, 2019

“Tonight we received the award from the ATP and it was an incredible experience,” said Romero. “It was very important to do it in front of all the fans and we prepared a big party. We always look to improve every day and offer the people a great show, and most importantly make the players feel like they are at home. In Mexico, there is a famous saying: ‘My home is your home’ and this is what we look to provide for our players.”

Last year’s runner-up Danilo Petrovic, semi-finalist Carlos Gomez-Herrera and former World No. 43 Victor Estrella Burgos were also on court during the ceremony. The Serbian, the Spaniard and the Dominican star are three of many players who have adopted Puerto Vallarta as their new home on tour. With world-class hospitality and captivating off-court activities in the local region, as well as perfect conditions between the lines, the players’ appreciation for the tournament is at the forefront.

The Challenger Awards are a recognition of excellence, selected by players from the global Challenger Tour of 160 events staged in 40 different countries. In its inaugural year, the Puerto Vallarta Open was instantly recognised as being outstanding in terms of facilities, organisation, imagination, promotion and player welcome.

Led by the Puerto Vallarta Office of Tourism, the commitment and hard work of the tournament team, the support of the municipality, local authorities, sponsors, the press and the public produced a wonderful week of professional tennis. The tournament made Challenger history by winning the award in its first year, joining only the Abierto GNP Seguros in nearby Monterrey (2015) in achieving the feat.

In 2018, three tournaments were recognised with the Challenger of the Year award, with Puerto Vallarta accompanying the NECKARCUP in Heilbronn, Germany, and Odlum Brown VanOpen in Vancouver, Canada, in the winners’ circle. Heilbronn will be presented with their trophy in two weeks, with Vancouver holding their ceremony in August.

American Reilly Opelka picked up his first tour-level clay-court win on Monday at the Millennium Estoril Open. The 6’11” American overcame home wild card Pedro Sousa 7-6(2), 6-4 to set up a second-round meeting with third seed Gael Monfils of France.

Opelka had been 0-4 on clay at tour-level, but the 21-year-old gained confidence on the surface last year on the ATP Challenger Tour, winning the BNP Paribas Primrose in Bordeaux, France. Opelka and Monfils have never played each other.

“The clay here is different than what [Americans] are used to playing on. I prefer it, I did pretty well last year in the Challengers in France and everything. I’m excited to book a pretty busy clay-court schedule,” Opelka said.

Portuguese qualifier Joao Domingues, No. 214, upset sixth seed and No. 27 Alex de Minaur 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 for his biggest win by ATP Ranking. The #NextGenATP Aussie was playing his first match since losing in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in March (hip).

“I’m feeling good. I’m playing good so I’m confident. This is very important in tennis. I’m looking forward to playing more matches like this,” said Domingues, who will face the winner of an all-Aussie battle between Bernard Tomic and John Millman.

Argentina’s Guido Andreozzi will meet top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece after beating Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien 6-3, 6-3, and Yoshihito Nishioka could face eighth seed and defending finalist Frances Tiafoe in the second round.

Nishioka swept American Mackenzie McDonald 6-2, 6-4. Tiafoe meets Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin in his opener.

Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics survived Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(8) on Monday to advance during a rain-soaked day one of the BMW Open by FWU in Munich.

The eighth seed saved nine of 14 break points and converted his fourth match point to end the three-hour, seven-minute contest.

Fucsovics will next face Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro or Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff. In the only other main-draw match of the day, Taro Daniel of Japan swept #NextGenATP Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-4.

Top seed and two-time defending champion Alexander Zverev is the favourite to take home a third consecutive title in his home country. Zverev will face the winner between German wild card Maximilian Marterer or Cordoba Open champion Juan Ignacio Londero.

No. 37 (Career-High) Matteo Berrettini, +18
Despite arriving in Budapest on a five-match tour-level losing streak, Matteo Berrettini battled his way through the field at the Hungarian Open to claim his second ATP Tour title. The unseeded Italian upset seventh seed Mikhail Kukushkin and Rio Open presented by Claro champion Laslo Djere en route to the championship match, where he rallied from a set down to beat Filip Krajinovic. The 23-year-old, who competes at the BMW Open by FWU this week, leaps 18 places to a career-high No. 37 in the ATP Rankings. Read More.

No. 29 (Career-High) Laslo Djere, +4
Djere produced another impressive result on clay in 2019 with a run to the last four at the Hungarian Open. The 23-year-old defeated Ernests Gulbis, Jannik Sinner and fourth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili to reach the semi-finals, where he fell in straight sets to eventual champion Berrettini. With a 12-9 record this year, the Serbian rises four spots to a career-high No. 29 in the ATP Rankings.

No. 70 Nicolas Jarry, +11
The 23-year-old reached his first tour-level quarter-final of the season in dramatic fashion at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. After a three-set victory against Marcel Granollers in the first round, Jarry scored back-to-back final-set tie-break wins over the two most recent winners of the Nitto ATP Finals. The lucky loser saved one match point to stun World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, before eliminating Grigor Dimitrov to reach the last eight in Barcelona. Jarry jumps 11 places to No. 70 in the ATP Rankings.

No. 77 Filip Krajinovic, +28
The Belgrade resident defeated two seeded opponents at the Hungarian Open to reach his second tour-level championship match. After overcoming Andreas Seppi in the first round, Krajinovic posted victories against eighth seed Radu Albot and second seed Borna Coric to advance to the final four. The 27-year-old dropped four games to beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the semi-finals, before a three-set loss to Berrettini in the final. Krajinovic soars 28 positions to No. 77 in the ATP Rankings.

Other Notable Movers

No. 38 Pablo Carreno Busta, -9
No. 43 Pierre-Hugues Herbert, +6
No. 49 Grigor Dimitrov, -6
No. 50 John Millman, -11
No. 57 (Career-High) Mackenzie McDonald, +4
No. 60 Martin Klizan, -13
No. 67 Pablo Cuevas, +6
No. 68 Andreas Seppi, -6
No. 81 Aljaz Bedene, -7
No. 86 Roberto Carballes Baena, +18
No. 92 Prajnesh Gunneswaran, -17
No. 93 Tennys Sandgren, +10
No. 98 Hugo Dellien, -6
No. 99 Pablo Andujar, -15

In week three of the European clay-court swing, ATP 250 events in Estoril and Munich take the spotlight. World No. 10 Stefanos Tsitsipas leads the way at the Millennium Estoril Open, while two-time defending champion Alexander Zverev aims for a three-peat at the BMW Open by FWU. Here are 20 things to watch from the ATP 250 events:

10 Things To Watch In Estoril

1) A Packed Field: Two clay-court events take place on the ATP Tour this week, in Estoril and Munich. At the Millennium Estoril Open, World No. 10 Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion Fabio Fognini join former titlists Joao Sousa and Pablo Carreno Busta in the field.

2) Greece Lightning: Top seed Tsitsipas is back at the ATP 250 event after reaching the semi-finals on his debut last year, where he fell to eventual champion Sousa. The top Greek in ATP Rankings history is 19-9 this season, winning the title in Marseille and making the Australian Open semi-finals, but saw his ATP Ranking fall from two spots to No. 10 on Monday – his first ATP Ranking dip since October 2018.

3) A Hero’s Homecoming: Sousa thrilled the Estoril crowds last year by becoming the first Portuguese champion in the tournament’s history. The top Portuguese player in ATP Rankings history had to save two match points against compatriot Pedro Sousa in the second round, before marching to his third ATP Tour singles title – his first on home soil, and his first on clay.

4) Fog Rolling In: Two weeks ago, second seed Fognini owned a 4-8 win-loss record in 2019 with no victories from four tour-level matches on clay. That suddenly changed when he clinched his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, defeating 11-time champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals before a final victory against Dusan Lajovic. Fognini, the first Italian to win a Masters 1000 title, is at a career-high No. 12 in the ATP Rankings.

5) Stellar Serb: Fifth seed Lajovic is up one spot to a new career-high ATP Ranking of No. 23. The Serb smashed his prior career-high ranking of No. 42 after reaching his first singles final in the Principality, notching his first Top 5 win over Dominic Thiem en route to the championship match.

6) Back for More: 2017 champion Carreno Busta has established a strong resume in Estoril, going 13-3 in his four showings. The No. 7 seed reached the final in 2016, before going one step further in the following year. Also returning to Estoril is eighth seed Frances Tiafoe, who fell to Sousa in last year’s final.

7) Going Wild: Fourth seed David Goffin received a wild card into the event, as the Belgian seeks more clay-court wins following second-round exits in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. Carreno Busta and Pedro Sousa round out the three wild cards at the Millennium Estoril Open this week.

8) Gael Force: Third seed Gael Monfils, like his fellow seeded players Fognini, Goffin and Lajovic, is making his Estoril debut. The Frenchman opened the year with a career-best 15-3 start, including the Rotterdam title, but gave eventual champion Thiem a walkover in the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals in his most recent appearance on the ATP Tour. Monfils withdrew from the Miami Open presented by Itau with a left ankle injury.

9) Young Guns: Sixth seed Alex de Minaur is also playing his first event since Indian Wells. The Aussie had a hot start to 2019 as well, opening the year with a 11-4 record and winning his first tour-level trophy in his hometown of Sydney. De Minaur, who withdrew from Miami with a hip injury, is still fifth in the #NextGenATP Race to Milan, behind Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, and Tiafoe.

10) Doubling Up: No. 4 doubles seeds Marcus Daniell and Wesley Koolhof arrive in Estoril after a run to the Budapest final (l. to Skupski/Skupski). It was Koolhof’s third straight final appearance with as many partners, following runner-up finishes at Masters 1000 events in Miami (w/Tsitsipas) and Monte-Carlo (w/Haase).

10 Things To Watch In Munich

1) Home Hopes: Two clay-court events take place on the ATP Tour this week, in Munich and Estoril. At the BMW Open by FWU in Munich, two-time defending champion and World No. 3 Alexander Zverev joins fellow German and three-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber in the field.

2) The Champ Returns: Top seed Zverev returns to Munich in an attempt to pull off a hat-trick of titles at the ATP 250 event. Already making his sixth appearance at the tournament at age 22, the German has built up a 12-3 record in Munich. Zverev has been ranked in the Top 5 each week since 11 September 2017, but still seeks his first singles trophy of 2019 after winning nine titles in the past two seasons.

Read Zverev: ‘My Game Is Pretty Much Back’

3) Munich Debut: After accepting a wild card into the event, second seed Karen Khachanov also aims to capture his first title of the year. The Russian broke through at the end of 2018 by winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Masters, but is currently on a four-match losing streak dating back to a quarter-final loss to Rafael Nadal at the BNP Paribas Open.

4) Right at Home: The oldest player in the draw, Philipp Kohlschreiber, has heavy championship experience at Munich. The 35-year-old debuted at the event in 2002 and has amassed a 33-11 record in Munich since then, winning titles in 2007, 2012, and 2016, and making three other finals, including last year. Kohlschreiber faces fellow 35-year-old Andreas Seppi in the first round.

5) One More Step: Fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut has made at least the quarter-finals in all three of his appearances in Munich, but he is still seeking his first final at the event. He fell in the semi-finals to eventual champions Andy Murray in 2015 and Zverev in 2017, and lost to last year’s finalist Kohlschreiber in the quarter-finals 12 months ago.

6) Final Four: Two of last year’s unseeded Grand Slam semi-finalists are Top 5 seeds in Munich this year. No. 3 seed Marco Cecchinato beat Novak Djokovic to make the 2018 Roland Garros semi-finals, while No. 5 seed Kyle Edmund upset then-No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov to reach the final four at the 2018 Australian Open. Both Cecchinato and Edmund ended last year ranked inside the Top 20.

7) That Winning Feeling: Martin Klizan joins Zverev and Kohlschreiber as former champions in the draw. Klizan won the second of his six ATP Tour titles at this event as a qualifier in 2014, beating Fabio Fognini in the final. He also won his most recent title as a qualifier, in Kitzbuhel last year.

8) Qualies Quality: After successfully making it into the Munich main draw, Lorenzo Sonego will try to make a third straight ATP Tour quarter-final as a qualifier. After qualifying at Marrakech and reaching the last eight there, the Italian notched the biggest win of his career over Khachanov en route to his first Masters 1000 quarter-final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters as a qualifier.

9) Wild Cards: Rudolf Molleker is one of this week’s wild cards. The 18-year-old German finished last season as the youngest player ranked in the Top 400. He currently sits at a new career-high ranking of No. 157 after making two quarter-finals and a semi-final at his last three ATP Challenger Tour events. Maximilian Marterer joins Molleker and Khachanov as the third wild card.

10) Brothers In Form: In the doubles draw, No. 3 seeds Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski come into Munich on a winning streak, having lifted the Hungarian Open title on Sunday. The British brothers claimed their first crown of the season in Budapest after runner-up finishes in Houston and Delray Beach earlier this year.

Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev arrives at the BMW Open by FWU without having won multiple matches at a tournament since reaching the Acapulco final the first weekend of March. But the two-time defending champion will hope that returning home to Munich, where he has enjoyed plenty of success, will help him get back on track.

“Obviously I didn’t play my best the past few weeks. But I feel good on the court, I’m happy on the court and this is the most important thing,” Zverev said. “I feel like my game is pretty much back on the practice courts in the way I hit the ball, but I just have to show it in the matches. I think I’ll have a few very tough matches and if I win them, I think I’m in good shape and good form. We’ll see how it goes.”

The top seed has won 11 of his past 12 matches in Munich, and he will look to add to that when he faces Cordoba champion Juan Ignacio Londero or German wild card Maximilian Marterer in the second round. Sixth seed Diego Schwartzman, a dangerous clay-court foe who triumphed at the ATP 500 tournament in Rio de Janeiro last year, is the first seeded player Zverev could face.

Zverev’s countryman Jan-Lennard Struff, who defeated the World No. 3 in Indian Wells, is in the same half of the draw, as are third seed and 2018 Roland Garros semi-finalist Marco Cecchinato and eighth seed Marton Fucsovics.

“Especially in Munich, the draw is always very, very difficult and there are always a lot of good players. And even the past two years when I won I had to go through a lot of tough matches and a lot of great players and great opponents,” Zverev said. “For me, it’s great to be here but I know it’s not going to be an easy week and I’m looking forward to it.”

There are six players inside the Top 25 of the ATP Rankings overall, with Russian Karen Khachanov of Russia the second seed. Khachanov could face a stiff test in his opening match, as he could potentially face three-time titlist Philipp Kohlschreiber, who has emerged victorious at this ATP 250 tournament more than any other player. Kohlschreiber plays Italian Andreas Seppi in the first round.

Nineteen of the 28 competitors in the main draw have won an ATP Tour title, with two-time titlist Matteo Berrettini lifting the Hungarian Open trophy in Budapest on Sunday. But the favourite will be Zverev, who is pursuing his first crown of 2019.

The home favourite is trying to win his third title at a single tournament for the first time (he has also won the Citi Open twice). The only other player to triumph in Munich three times is fellow German Kohlschreiber, who is on the opposite side of the draw. No player has lifted the trophy here in three consecutive years.

“It’s always a great feeling when you know you’ve done this here and you know that you normally play well here and this gives you confidence,” Zverev said. “This is exactly what I need and I’m happy to be here.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas has a habit of going deep in draws, but the top seed will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to do that once again at the Millennium Estoril Open.

The Greek star reached the semi-finals last year in his maiden trip to Portugal. With all eight seeds inside the Top 30 of the ATP Rankings, Tsitsipas knows he’ll need to be ready from the first ball.

“It’s a very strong [ATP] 250 [event], but that’s what makes it so special and an event that everyone wants to win. For me, it’s an extra motivation. Competing against all of these guys will only make you better,” said Tsitsipas during the pre-tournament player party. “I have very nice memories from this place. I got a lot of support last year, really nice vibes and really nice energy coming from the crowd and the city itself.”

The champion and runner-up at this year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Fabio Fognini and Dusan Lajovic, headline as the second seed and fifth seed, respectively. Defending champion and local favourite Joao Sousa also features in the draw, along with 2017 champion Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain. The intriguing field is already generating plenty of buzz.

“We’ve got some very good clay-courters in good form, so it’s an exciting place to play tennis,” said John Millman of Australia. “A lot of people came out for the qualifying, which is always a good sign for strong crowds for the rest of the week.”

The relaxed atmosphere and picturesque scenery have made Estoril a priority stop for the players competing this week, with #NextGenATP Aussie and sixth seed Alex de Minaur raving over the “incredible views from the hotel and coastline.” Sousa is competing in Estoril for the fourth consecutive year and believes the tournament has gotten better with each edition.

“It’s going to be a great tournament,” said Sousa. “There are a lot of good players and the organisation is making a big effort to have one of the best tournaments in the world here.”

It’s tennis in paradise. Last year, the Puerto Vallarta Open made a stunning debut under the radiant glow of the Mexican sun. With the Pacific Ocean glistening in the distance and the Sierra Madre mountains towering overhead, it provided the perfect setting for a tournament on the ATP Challenger Tour.

With a tournament hotel that doubles as a beach resort for thousands of vacation-goers, all-inclusive food and multiple practise courts on the premises, it’s no wonder that many players arrived early to enjoy a rare mid-season break. Next week, the award-winning 2018 Tournament of the Year returns for a second edition and once again features an impressive field.

With nine players inside the Top 200 of the ATP Rankings and World No. 98 Alexander Bublik leading the charge, fans will be treated to a show all week at the Parque Parota. Bublik is seeking a staggering fourth ATP Challenger Tour title in 2019, with his previous three triumphs coming on the hard courts of Budapest, Pau and Monterrey.

One year ago, the 21-year-old Kazakh was recovering from a broken ankle suffered in Indian Wells, but now he is dominating in his comeback campaign. Already back inside the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, Bublik has his sights set on yet another triumph on Mexican soil. He opens against either Renzo Olivo or Joao Menezes, with 13th seed Darian King looming in the third round.

Also in the top half of the draw, fourth seed Dustin Brown looms large as one of the hottest players on tour. The German streaked to the title in Sophia Antipolis, France, earlier this month, putting on a show with his patented highlight reel shotmaking. Brown is targeting a Top 100 return with a strong showing in Puerto Vallarta. He opens against either Kevin King or Baptiste Crepatte. Aussie John-Patrick Smith, Colombian veteran Santiago Giraldo and this week’s Leon semi-finalist James Ward also loom in that quarter. Ward could face 2018 runner-up Danilo Petrovic to open his campaign.

View Draw

Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the draw, defending champion Adrian Menendez-Maceiras is seeded second. The Spaniard was the comeback king a year ago, rallying from a set down on three occasions, en route to the title. He faces either Scott Griekspoor or Manuel Sanchez first, with third seed Peter Polansky, fifth seed Sebastian Ofner and 16th seed Blaz Rola the biggest threats in that half of the draw. Rola is coming off a title run in nearby Leon on Sunday.

Making the draw in Puerto Vallarta@clayton_scott lends a hand with the singles draw @PtoVallartaOpen pic.twitter.com/BHZ0x76wyE

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 27, 2019

Mexico has never had it so good. With five tournaments on the calendar in March and April, the country is greatly invested in growing the game at the Challenger level. Morelos champion Matias Franco Descotte, Monterrey champ Bublik, San Luis Potosi winner Marc-Andrea Huesler and Leon titlist Rola are all competing in Puerto Vallarta.

First round action begins on Monday, with seeded players kicking off their campaigns on Tuesday. If you’re already in Mexico or merely want an excuse to break away for a week of paradise, there are few better weeks to enjoy a tennis holiday on the ATP Challenger Tour.