Drama in Munich: Shelton Stuns in Opening Round
Ben Shelton, America’s rising tennis star and the No. 2 seed at the BMW Open in Munich, gave fans a first-round match to remember. He saved three match points and stormed back to beat Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo in a tense 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(3) thriller on Monday.
After dropping the first set and finding himself down 6-4 in the second-set tiebreak, Shelton rattled off four straight points to steal the set. And just when it looked like Gojo might pull the upset again late in the third, Shelton saved another match point to force a final-set tiebreak.
Shelton was nails under pressure, saving 9 of 10 break points, and turned defense into offense when it mattered most. It’s the kind of mental toughness that’s fast becoming his trademark on tour.
For those tracking ATP upsets and rising stars, keep this one bookmarked.
Zverev Keeps It Simple on Home Soil
On the other end of the drama spectrum, top-seeded Alexander Zverev made quick work of Frenchman Alexandre Muller, rolling 6-4, 6-1 in under an hour. Zverev, playing in front of a home crowd, showed no signs of stress and used his heavy baseline game to dominate Muller from start to finish.
Also moving on in Munich:
- Daniel Altmaier (Germany, wild card)
- David Goffin (Belgium)
- Tallon Griekspoor (Netherlands)
- Miomir Kecmanovic (Serbia)
Explore more ATP matchups and upsets on your go-to sports scores and picks page.
Barcelona Open: Rublev, Rune, Korda Advance
Andrey Rublev, seeded No. 4 at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, needed just 65 minutes to blast past Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong 6-1, 6-3. Rublev played aggressively, hitting 23 winners and keeping unforced errors to a minimum.
If the Russian maintains this form, he’s a legitimate contender in Spain this week.
Rune Wins Battle of the Wild Cards
Meanwhile, Holger Rune, the No. 6 seed from Denmark, showed his class in a composed 7-5, 6-4 win over Spanish veteran Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Rune fired four aces and out-hit Ramos-Vinolas 27-15 in total winners.
It wasn’t flashy, but it was efficient—a solid performance for a player looking to get deep in the draw.
Korda Fights Back for a Gritty Win
American Sebastian Korda wasn’t about to be left out. He rebounded from a sluggish start to outlast Matteo Arnaldi of Italy 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Korda looked sharper as the match went on and used his forehand to dictate play in the final two sets.
Also through in Barcelona:
- Jacob Fearnley (Great Britain, lucky loser)
- Hamad Medjedovic (Serbia, qualifier)
- Pedro Martinez (Spain)
To follow more player performances and ATP storylines, check out the full tennis stats and scores section.
