The final is set at the 2026 ATP Munich Open, and it does not feature the home favourite and defending champion Alexander Zverev after the fourth seed Flavio Cobolli upset the German. As a result, the Italian will bid for his fourth ATP Title against last year’s finalist and second seed Ben Shelton. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for the match, but who will lift the trophy?

ATP Munich Final Prediction
Ben Shelton vs Flavio Cobolli

Head-to-head: Shelton 3-2 Cobolli

American #1 Shelton came into this tournament in awful form and needed a good week to get his confidence back with the French Open now looming on the horizon and important tournaments in Madrid and Rome to be played in the next few weeks. He has done that and more, as he has been rock solid in all of his matches and stepped up when his finest performance was required. His serve has been firing, which has set him up for a solid week and he has also done some real damage from the baseline in wins over Emilio Nava, Alexander Blockx, Joao Fonseca, and Alex Molcan.

Shelton lost against Alexander Zverev in the final last year, but with Zverev eliminated, he will fancy his chances that much more. But he will need to be at his best against Cobolli, who played one of the best match of his life in the semifinals to upset top seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets. Cobolli not only disarmed Zverev’s big serve brilliantly, but he was hitting winners from everywhere on the court and made it difficult for Zverev to settle into the match. Cobolli has already won a title in Germany (Hamburg) last season and will be looking to add another to his tally.

The weather conditions will likely play a part in this match on Sunday as the forecast suggests colder and windier conditions, which will affect Shelton’s serve effectiveness and give Cobolli more chances to get into the rallies. The Italian has more variety from the back of the court, which can frustrate Shelton. The American has won the last three encounters in this rivalry, but Cobolli might just have enough to edge this one and getting his second top-10 win in a row.

Prediction: Cobolli in 3

Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images