Munich
\n Zverev scraps, then turns to tweener in Munich en route to Kecmanovic revenge<\/p>\n
Fonseca sinks Tabilo, Molcan upsets Bublik<\/p>\n
April 14, 2026<\/p>\n
BMW Open<\/p>\n
Alexander Zverev in action against Miomir Kecmanovic on Tuesday in Munich.
\n By Andy West<\/p>\n
Alexander Zverev<\/a> dug deep to hold off a fierce Miomir Kecmanovic<\/a> comeback on Tuesday at the BMW Open by Bitpanda<\/a> in Munich, where he sprinkled a late piece of tweener magic on his 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2) first-round victory. <\/p>\n Competing as the top seed and defending champion at the clay ATP 500, Zverev kept his composure after Kecmanovic rallied from a set and break down to push the match distance. The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Zverev raised his level impressively in the deciding-set tie-break, when he produced some of his best tennis of the match including a stunning reaction tweener volley at 4\/1 after Kecmanovic clipped the net with a backhand. <\/p>\n The ultimate improvisation \ud83e\udd2f\ud83c\udd99@AlexZverev<\/a> bringing out the hotshot for his home crowd!@BMWOpen500<\/a> | #BMWOpenbyBitpanda<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wOZcnz9kkG<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) April 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt was a tie-break, so it wasn\u2019t like a show-off shot. It was actually the only way I could have hit it,\u201d Zverev said. \u201cLuckily for me it worked out. I\u2019m not somebody that has a lot of \u2018highlights\u2019, I feel like, so definitely one today.\u201d <\/p>\n Zverev, who is this week chasing a record fourth Munich title, won 85 per cent (11\/13) of points at the net against Kecmanovic, according to the Infosys ATP Win\/Loss Index. With his two-hour, 19-minute triumph, the German avenged his defeat to Kecmanovic in Acpaulco in February. <\/p>\n \u201cI was really serving poorly the entire match, so I gave him a lot of looks on second serves,\u201d Zverev said. \u201cAt some point he was playing like a wall, he wasn\u2019t missing. Obviously today the temperatures don\u2019t help an aggressive style of tennis. It\u2019s tough to hit a winner, but in the end I won and that\u2019s the most important thing.\u201d <\/p>\n Awaiting Zverev in the second round as he bids for his first ATP Tour crown of 2026 will be Gabriel Diallo<\/a>. Zverev won the pair\u2019s only previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting earlier this year at the Australian Open<\/a>. <\/p>\n Joao Fonseca<\/a> also tasted victory early on a chilly Bavarian Tuesday afternoon. The #NextGenATP Brazilian marked his Munich debut with a 7-6(1), 6-3 win against Alejandro Tabilo<\/a>. The 19-year-old Fonseca, a quarter-finalist in Monte-Carlo last week, will meet seventh seed Arthur Rinderknech<\/a> for a quarter-final spot. <\/p>\n Third seed Alexander Bublik<\/a> and eighth seed Tallon Griekspoor<\/a> each fell to an early exit in Munich. Qualifier Alex Molcan<\/a> eased past Bublik 6-4, 6-2 to book a second-round clash with Daniel Altmaier<\/a>. Home favourite Altmaier defeated former World No. 3 Marin Cilic<\/a> 6-2, 6-3. <\/p>\n Meanwhile Denis Shapovalov<\/a> outlasted Griekspoor for a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 triumph. The Canadian lefty will play the winner of the final match on Tuesday\u2019s schedule between Stefanos Tsitsipas<\/a> and Fabian Marozsan<\/a>. <\/p>\n Italian stars Flavio Cobolli<\/a> and Luciano Darderi<\/a> also advanced to the second round. Fourth seed Cobolli downed home #NextGenATP hope Diego Dedura<\/a> 6-4, 7-5 to set a second-round encounter with Zizou Bergs<\/a>, a 6-1, 6-4 winner against Marko Topo<\/a>. Sixth seed Darderi overcame Zhang Zhizhen<\/a> 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-1 and will next play Vit Kopriva<\/a>, who defeated Justin Engel<\/a> 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. <\/p>\n