A sell-out crowd, over 6,000 spectators on the new centre court, sunshine and a great atmosphere - the BMW Open by Bitpanda couldn't have got off to a better start. The fact that the tournament's number one, Alexander Zverev, has made it through to the round of 16 does the rest. The two-time tournament winner only had problems at the start of the match against Alexandre Muller from France, the world number 40. Zverev won the first round 6:4, then made short work of the Frenchman in the second (6:1) and after just 1:20 hours the 27-year-old was through to the next round - much to the delight of his girlfriend Sophia Thomalla in the stands.
The spectators couldn't complain about a lack of tennis at all. The first match between Miomir Kecmanovic from Serbia and Marcos Giron from the USA lasted just under three hours (2:54). The Serb emerged victorious (6:2; 6:7; 7:6). And shooting star Ben Shelton from the USA also gave the spectators something to cheer about. The 22-year-old surprisingly lost the first set against Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo, but fought his way into the match and ultimately won in three sets (4:6; 7:6; 7:6). The world number 15 had to fend off two match points. The match lasted 2:24 hours.
But Diego Dedura-Palomero from Berlin still made it into the main draw. 17 years young and with a wild card for qualifying, he benefited from the cancellation of Gael Monfils from France due to injury (right foot injury) and slipped in as the fourth lucky loser. The left-hander is certainly a striking appearance, with his blond hair and Chilean roots. His opponent in the first round is Denis Shapovalov from Canada.
The defending champion at the BMW Open by Bitpanda, Jan-Lennard Struff, has big plans: "It was very special for me here last year, of course it brings back a lot of memories," says Struff, who surprised everyone last year and won his first title on the ATP Tour. He would like to continue in the same vein, but has had a difficult few months with injuries and a real form crisis. However, the almost 35-year-old has never thought about quitting: "I do this sport because I love it and I still want to keep going. What's more, Struff continues, he has always been characterised by the fact that he has never given up. However, his opponent in the first round, Francisco Cerundolo, a clay court specialist from Argentina, should not be underestimated.