Even tennis fan Thomas Müller is amazed: after the early exit of top favorite Zverev, Struff takes on the leading role at the BMW Open. Nothing can stop the veteran
Jan-Lennard Struff spread his arms wide after winning his first title on the professional tennis tour on a match point in Munich’s foul weather. After the early exit of top favorite Alexander Zverev, the unleashed and nervously strong veteran slipped into the leading role at the BMW Open and delighted the German fans with a 7:5, 6:3 home win against the American Taylor Fritz. The match, which Struff clearly dominated, lasted 79 minutes.
“Absolutely crazy, it feels very good. Emotionally, it was an important win for me. I beat super players – unbelievable. I’ve waited so long for this tournament win. It’s my 14th year,” said Struff before the victory ceremony on Center Court. “The conditions were very difficult.” That made the success even more valuable.
In addition to the prize money of 88,125 euros, “Struffi”, who was celebrated by the spectators around national soccer player Thomas Müller on Center Court, was sweetened by the long-awaited premiere success with an expensive sports car from the main sponsor and the obligatory lederhosen.
Rain, cold, wind – nothing can stop “Struffi “
Rain, cold, wind, interruptions – the German Davis Cup player didn’t let the difficult conditions or the four opponents he defeated without losing a set stop him at the traditional tournament on the MTTC Iphitos grounds.
Even in the final, it was sometimes drizzling, sometimes not. Struff wore warm leggings and looked extremely focused. He won the first and also the last point of the match. He scored frequently, especially with his cracking forehand. He also showed nerves of steel: Struff fended off three set points from his opponent in the first round. The 26-year-old Californian Fritz had beaten Chile’s Cristian Garin in the semi-finals, who had previously defeated the top seed Zverev
Heavyweight Struff loses the doubles final
Struff had lost his three previous finals at ATP tournaments, one of which was also at the clay court event in Munich in 2021. “I hope I can take the last step,” he had said on Saturday after “a perfect match” in his 6:2, 6:0 semi-final against last year’s winner Holger Rune from Denmark.
Nevertheless, Struff became a hard worker on the final weekend. He had to take to the court five times, as he first had to successfully complete his quarter-final on Saturday morning. Three singles matches, two doubles – the spectators saw Struff in constant action.
After the singles final, Struff was only able to take a quick breath before missing out on his second title win of the day alongside Andreas Mies. In the final of the doubles competition, the German duo lost 6:7 (6:8), 6:7 (5:7) after two tiebreaks against Yuki Bhambri from India and the Italian Albano Olivetti once again on Center Court.
47,500 spectators – new stadium by 2027
47,500 spectators ensured nine sold-out days of tennis. And the traditional tournament is not set to lose its charm even after being upgraded to a larger 500 event. “Yes, we want to get bigger, but remain familiar and down-to-earth,” said Fabian Tross, Chairman of MTTC Iphitos. The new, significantly larger stadium should be ready by 2027. The prize money will increase from around 600,000 to more than 2.5 million euros.