Munich
\n Zverev wins see-saw clash with Cerundolo for Munich SF spot<\/p>\n
Home favourite will take on Cobolli in last four<\/p>\n
April 17, 2026<\/p>\n
BMW Open<\/p>\n
Alexander Zverev in action against Francisco Cerundolo on Friday in Munich.
\n By Andy West<\/p>\n
Alexander Zverev<\/a> held his nerve after a manic start to snap his clay losing streak against Francisco Cerundolo<\/a> and book a semi-final spot at the BMW Open by Bitpanda<\/a>. <\/p>\n The top seed and defending champion in Munich, Zverev recovered from letting slip a double break lead in the opening set to earn a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 quarter-final victory against fifth seed Cerundolo. Now into his fifth Munich semi-final, the No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will take on Flavio Cobolli<\/a> for a place in the championship match. <\/p>\n Zverev’s reign roars on \ud83e\udd81\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea<\/p>\n Three-time champion @AlexZverev<\/a> battles back 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 past Cerundolo into a 5th Munich SF@BMWOpen500<\/a> | #BMWOpenbyBitpanda<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/HFKUlpGhni<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) April 17, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Having lost his first three tour-level meetings with Cerundolo (all of which took place on clay), Zverev has since reeled off five straight wins to lead 5-3 in the pair\u2019s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. In his latest victory against the Argentine, Zverev\u2019s intent to dictate from the baseline was often clear, particularly on return: the 28-year-old converted seven of 12 break points he earned in the two-hour, 15-minute encounter, according to Infosys ATP Stats. <\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was an incredible level,\u201d said Zverev. \u201cEven in the first set when I was up 4-1, he started playing unbelievable. He started returning unbelievable. My first-serve percentage was very high, and he started returning a foot in front of the baseline. So there was nothing I could do, to be honest. I was happy with my level even in the first set. Definitely happy to get the win today against Francisco, for the first time on clay.\u201d <\/p>\n Zverev is now 21-6 for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win\/Loss Index, having reached the semi-finals at five of the six events in which he has competed (including Munich). He is this week chasing a record fourth trophy in Munich, where he previously triumphed in 2017, 2018 and 2025. <\/p>\n On Saturday, Zverev will bid to maintain his unbeaten record against Cobolli, having defeated the Italian last year at Roland Garros<\/a> and also in Halle. Earlier on Friday, the fourth-seeded Italian Cobolli had little trouble advancing to his maiden Munich semi-final. The World No. 16, already an ATP 500 champion this year in Acapulco, downed Vit Kopriva<\/a> 6-3, 6-2. <\/p>\n