Super Sascha Reaches Second Munich Final

Defending champion Alexander Zverev reached his second successive BMW Open by FWU final on Saturday, defeating reigning Next Gen ATP Finals titlist Hyeon Chung 7-5, 6-2.

“It was good,” Zverev said. “Obviously didn’t start off well, from the 0-3 deficit. Played a pretty good match and the tactics I had for the match worked well.”

The top seed, who won the third of his six ATP World Tour titles at the event in 2017 (d. Pella), hit eight aces and broke serve on five occasions to book his place in Sunday’s final after one hour and 31 minutes. The victory marks Zverev’s first win over the South Korean at tour-level, having lost both of their previous FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters at the 2017 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and the 2018 Australian Open.

In a first set that featured multiple momentum swings, Zverev won five straight games from 0-3 down to earn the opportunity to serve for a one-set lead. But Chung responded, holding serve and breaking the German to reach 5-5. The World No. 3 did not let the disappointment affect him, however, immediately breaking for a third time before clinching the set on his fourth set point.

The German applied constant pressure to Chung’s serve in the second set, securing consecutive breaks of serve in the third and fifth games. Zverev continued to hold serve and moved one step away from clinching back-to-back titles in the Bavarian capital as Chung’s backhand return landed beyond the baseline.

The 21-year-old has now won 20 matches on the ATP World Tour this season and will meet three-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber (2007, 2012, 2016) in Sunday’s championship match. Kohlschreiber leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-1, while they have split their two matches on German soil.

Kohlschreiber won his 33rd match in Munich, defeating countryman Maximilian Marterer 6-2, 6-4 to reach his sixth final in Munich. The World No. 34 dropped only two points behind his second serve and converted four of his six break point chances to defeat Marterer in 65 minutes. Marterer had not lost a set en route to the semi-finals.

From 1-2 down in the first set, Kohlschreiber won 20 of the next 23 points to race to a one-set lead. The second set appeared to be following the same pattern, as the 34-year-old won three straight games from 2-2 to serve for the match, but Marterer battled back with two consecutive games of his own to force Kohlschreiber to serve for the match for a second time under heightened pressure. But Kohlschreiber, unfazed by the situation, reeled off four straight points to win his book a final meeting with Zverev.  

“It’s going to be a tough match,” Zverev said. “Philipp has been in multiple finals here, won the title multiple times as well, so it’s not going to be easy.”

Did You Know?
As a result of Alexander Zverev’s win over Hyeon Chung, the 2018 BMW Open by FWU will be the first event since the 2016 Gerry Weber Open to feature an all-German final. On that occasion, Florian Mayer defeated Zverev 6-2, 5-7, 6-3. The event is also guaranteed a fifth home winner in the past seven years and a ninth German champion since the tournament’s first edition in 1974.