Italy’s Flavio Cobolli knocked out defending champion Alexander Zverev in the BMW Open by Bitpanda semi-final.
Cobolli said, “A friend of mine passed away yesterday. He was only 13 years old. This win is for him,” during his on-court interview.
Cobolli’s Victory Over Zverev
Cobolli produced an outstanding display to defeat top seed Alexander Zverev. He struck 32 winners and lost just eight points on his first serve. Cobolli converted four of his five break-point chances to advance in one hour and nine minutes.
“It was one of my best matches ever, against one of my best friends on Tour,” added Cobolli. He also stated, “He’s a really good guy and we have a great relationship with everyone on his team, so it was a little bit tough to play against him. But today I think I played one of my best matches, and I’m really happy about my performance.”
Zverev acknowledged Cobolli’s performance. “It was certainly one of his better matches,” said Zverev.
Zverev said he may adjust his schedule of playing in Madrid, Rome and Hamburg. “Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are handling it quite smartly by not playing every tournament,” Zverev added. “Paris is the big goal.”
Shelton Reaches the Final
Ben Shelton ended the run of Slovakian qualifier Alex Molcan. Shelton, who finished runner-up to Zverev last year in Munich, returned to the BMW Open by Bitpanda final with a 6-3, 6-4 win.
Shelton fired six aces and won 73 percent of his first-service points to seal victory in one hour and 36 minutes.
“Alex had beaten a bunch of great players throughout the week. The scoreline doesn’t show it, but it was a really tight match today,” said Shelton.
Shelton added, “It’s pretty cool to reach back-to-back finals here in Munich. That’s the first time I’ve achieved that feat. I love doing that here and it gives me a lot of confidence.”
Cobolli Aims for Another Title
Cobolli is now seeking his fourth tour-level title and his second of the season following his triumph in Acapulco, Mexico.
- Cobolli is seeking his fourth tour-level title.
- He is also aiming for his second title of the season.
- Cobolli previously triumphed in Acapulco, Mexico.
“Ben is a very good player and likes these conditions he