Philipp Kohlschreiber could win his fourth Munich title on Sunday (1:30 pm, live on DAZN). In a direct comparison with last year’s winner Alexander Zverev, the veteran is still ahead.
By Jens Huiber from Munich
The possibility of a big German showdown at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in Munich had of course already arisen after the draw: Philipp Kohlschreiber had been drawn on the other half of the tableau as Alexander Zverev, the opponents on the way to the final game in principle formidable, but not insurmountable.
And Philipp Kohlschreiber has met his target, confidently, without losing a set. Basically, the three-time Munich champion only flinched once, in his semi-final against Maximilian Marterer, when he was only eliminated in his second attempt.
Zverev, on the other hand, had to blink hard against Yannick Hanfmann before he took command towards the end of the second set. He easily mastered the task of Jan-Lennard Struff and the first win against Hyeon Chung after the 0:3-error start felt quite experienced.
Kohlschreiber leads in the internal balance with Zverev with 2:1 victories, two years ago the two have already duelled at the Aumeister. The experienced Wahl-Kitzbühler tortured Zverev with a potpourri of his greatest successes with regard to undercut balls; in fact, the slice would probably be an effective remedy against the German number one. Which neither Struff nor Chung reached for.
Here the duele between Philipp Kohlschreiber and Alexander Zverev so far
Philipp Kohlschreiber holds on to eight tournament victories in his career, Alexander Zverev could approach a title with a success this Sunday. Kitzbühel 2017 delivered Kohlschreiber’s last masterpiece. At the same time Zverev struck two categories higher in Washington, one week later, in Montreal.
After the tournament in Munich, Kohlschreiber could meet Roberto Bautista Agut again early on. In his home country, a little more resistance is to be expected than in Friday’s quarter-finals. Zverev is seeded second in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, he enjoys a walk-through to start off.
Just like in Munich. Three victories were enough to reach the final. Where defending the title is not a foregone conclusion, this Franco Squillari was last successful in 2000.
Here the single tableau in Munich