By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, May 7, 2017
Alexander Zverev reeled off 10 of the final 13 games overpowering Guido Pella, 6-4, 6-3, to win his first title on home soil in Munich.
Photo credit: BMW Open by FWU
The evolution of Alexander Zverev took another stirring spike.
Down 2-4 in today’s Munich final, Zverev elevated his play and extinguished 158th-ranked Guido Pella.
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Zverev raced through 10 of the final 13 games dismissing Pella, 6-4, 6-3, to capture his first career championship on home soil at the BMW Open.
Patience, accuracy and explosive shots that backed his opponent behind the baseline ignited Zverev's comeback.
Hitting varied targets on serve to set up his sharp first strike, Zverev served 62 percent, punched eight aces and protected his second serve with fierce vigor. Zverev won 17 of his 21 second-serve points.
The 20-year-old Hamburg resident raised his record to 18-8 on the season and will rise to a career-high rank of No. 17 when the new ATP rankings are released tomorrow.
It was Zverev’s second tournament title of the season following his victory over Richard Gasquet in the Montepellier final in February.
The 20-year-old German, who defeated Stan Wawrinka to win his first career ATP title at St. Petersburg last September, has won three consecutive finals.
Initially, it wasn’t easy.
Persistent showers pushed back today’s scheduled start time and created soggy conditions.
Pella adjusted quickly, whipping his heavy topspin forehand to carve out the first break in the opening game.
By virtue of reaching his first Stuttgart final, Pella is projected to leap nearly 50 spots in the rankings to about No. 109 when the new ATP rankings are released tomorrow.
When the German’s drop volley sat up in the middle of the court, Pella slid into a backhand pass crosscourt earning double break point.
The Argentine qualifier was one point from a double break and a 5-2 lead, but he would not get any closer.
Swinging more freely and turning his shoulders into his shots, Zverev picked up the pace and depth of his drives spiking a surge that saw him reel off seven straight games.
Rifling a backhand crosscourt and ripping an inside-out forehand, Zverev denied both break points then bolted an ace down the T, eventually holding for 3-4.
Those big swings sparked a major momentum swing.
Hitting through the slow, heavy conditions with flatter, harder drives, Zverev rattled a series of errors breaking back at love for 4-all.
The left-hander tried to create angles to stretch the 6’6” German, but Zverev was commanding the center of the court forcing Pella to chase. Zverev powered through a second straight break to snatch a one-set lead.
Continuing to dictate play from the center of the court, Zverev broke again, then quickly consolidated for a 3-0 second-set lead.
Angling off a fine drop shot, the 26-year-old Argentine finally stopped his slide, holding for the first time since the sixth game.
Unlike his first final on home soil when he fell to Florian Mayer on the grass of Halle last June, Zverev kept calm and continued to bang away from the baseline. A thumping smash helped him work through a deuce game extending his lead to 4-1.
Sliding into a forehand pass down the line, Zverev gained a third break point in the sixth game. Pella saved it and curled a twisting serve down the middle to cap a hard-fought hold.
Cranking his eighth ace down the middle, Zverev earned triple championship point. Bolting one final biting serve into the body, Zverev wrapped up his first championship on home soil in 72 minutes.
Zverev is the sixth different German man since 1974 to rule Munich, joining Philipp Kohlschreiber (2007, 2012, 2016), Tommy Haas (2013), Michael Stich (1994), Rolf Gehring (1980) and Jurgen Fassbender (1974).