It was like a fairy tale – but sadly, it all came to an end today for Diego Dedura from Berlin. After being knocked out in the qualifiers, he slipped into the main draw of the BMW Open by Bitpanda as a lucky loser, won his first match on the ATP Tour against Denis Shapovalov, and was knocked out today by Zizou Bergs.
Diego Dedura, who had caused a huge upset by reaching the round of 16, got off to a poor start, took too long to adjust to the Belgian’s style of play and was at times overwhelmed by his opponent’s fast shots. He lost the first set straight through, 1–6.
The 17-year-old blonde, who fought valiantly, was able to make the start of the second set somewhat more even, but then the world number 50 managed a break for 3:1 and then another for 5:1. After 1:09 hours, Zizou Bergs converted his first match point (6:1; 6:1). For Diego Dedura, the round of 16 at the BMW Open by Bitpanda was nevertheless a huge success, and the crowd celebrated him accordingly: "I'm super happy that so many people came and supported me," he said after the match and "I'll take this experience with me and still have a lot to learn. He started the tournament as number 549 in the world rankings and as Diego Dedura-Palomero. In future, he only wants to play under his mother's maiden name "because it's easier for everyone" and will slip below 400 in the world rankings next week.
The only remaining German at the BMW Open by Bitpanda is Alexander Zverev. He will play Tallon Griekspoor from the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. The doubles competition is firmly in German hands. First, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz reached the semi-finals after a commanding victory against the French doubles pairing of Sadio Doumba and Fabien Reboul (6:3; 6:4). Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner won the all-German clash in the quarter-finals. The Bavarians, who made it into the main draw via a wild card, defeated youngsters Justin Engel and Max Hans Rehberg 6:3 and 6:3. If both pairings progress, there could be a German-German final.
The Allianz Para Trophy also began today with the first victory for the number one in the Para world rankings, Alfie Hewett from Great Britain. He beat Nicolas Charrier from France 6:1 and 6:3. Last year he had to take a break in Munich due to injury, so he is all the more pleased to be back at the Allianz Para Trophy this year: "Munich is a showcase for other tournaments. It means a lot to us to play in front of so many spectators. We also need a platform like this to motivate young people." Daniela Bauer, Global Head of Partnerships at Allianz SE, was also delighted with the launch of the Allianz Para Trophy: "This is the fourth time we've been able to organise the Para Trophy at the BMW Open and the tournament is getting bigger every year. It's great to see how we are growing."