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.
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 former champion Philipp Kohlschreiber or Maximilian Marterer in Sunday’s championship match.
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.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2HRlZYV
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