Ben Shelton has progressed to the semi-finals of the BMW Open by Bitpanda in Munich. The American overcame João Fonseca in a quarterfinal clash. Alexander Zverev also advanced, delighting his home crowd.
Shelton Secures Semi-Final Spot
Shelton, the No. 2 seed, battled to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory against Fonseca. The match took place on a sunlit Friday at the MTTC Iphitos in front of a packed Center Court crowd. He struck seven aces and won 84 per cent of his first-service points to prevail after one hour and 49 minutes.
Shelton spoke of Fonseca as “an electric player, one of the rising stars on the tour”. He added that it was a big match for Fonseca, with a lot of excitement around him. Shelton also mentioned he would love to play against Fonseca in Brazil one day.
The 23-year-old American has now advanced to the semi-finals of an ATP Tour event for the 14th time. He will face Slovakian qualifier Alex Molcan on Saturday.
Molcan’s Unexpected Run
Molcan defeated Denis Shapovaolov of Canada 6-4, 6-4. The world No. 166 won 57 per cent of the total points played to succeed in 78 minutes. He became the lowest-ranked Munich semi-finalist since world No. 186 Gerald Melzer in 2015.
Molcan said he wasn’t even sure if he was getting into the tournament at the beginning of the week. He described the last two years as tough, undergoing two surgeries. He expressed pride in himself and his team.
Zverev Overcomes Cerundolo
Top seed Zverev secured a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 win over Francisco Cerundolo. The 27-year-old Argentine overcame a slow start to clinch the opening set in just under an hour. Zverev got back on track immediately, taking the match to a decider only 20 minutes later.
Zverev said Cerundolo started playing and returning unbelievably after he was 4-1 up in the first set. The world No. 3 from Germany was the more solid player during the longer rallies in the final set. He secured victory in two hours and 15 minutes.
Zverev has now reached his fifth tour-level semi-final this season.
Looking Ahead
Shelton will face Alex Molcan in the semi-finals. Flavio Cobolli will clash with the defending champion. Zverev has also reached his fifth tour-level semi-final this season.