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By Alberto Amalfi | Wednesday, May 2, 2018

 
Alexander Zverev

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev rallied past wild card Yannick Hanfmann, 6-7 (12), 6-4, 6-2, setting up an all-German quarterfinal vs. Jan-Lennard Struff.

Photo credit: @BMWOpenbyFWU

Alexander Zverev launched his Munich title defense with tennis rock n' roll.

Zverev got off to a rocky start then rolled through the finish line.

Watch: Roland Garros Renovation

In an all-German match, Zverev reeled off seven of the last nine games dispatching wild card Yannick Hanfmann, 6-7 (12), 6-4, 6-2.

The reigning Munich champion advanced to a repeat quarterfinal clash with German Davis Cup teammate Jan-Lennard Struff, a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victor over 28-year-old compatriot Yannick Maden.



The top-seeded Zverev has won all three meetings vs. the big-serving Struff with all three contested on clay.

Zverev stopped Struff, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, in Monte-Carlo last month.

A year ago, Zverev eked out a 3-6, 7-6 (3) 7-6 (5) decision over Struff in the Munich quarterfinals. He did not drop a set the rest of the way en route to the Munich championship.

The 26-year-old Hanfmann, who reached the Munich quarterfinals as a qualifier last year, deployed the drop shot effectively throughout the first set today.

Hanfmann hit a sliding running forehand pass for double set point at 6-4 in the tie break, but Zverev resisted the pressure.

The world No. 3 fought off six set points in the tie break, including a jolting backhand winner down the line struck from outside the doubles alley, leveling at 11-11.

Racing up to a drop shot, Zverev snapped a smash to earn his second set point at 12-11, but Hanfmann saved it in style banging a serve winner off the sideline.

A sleek serve-and-volley winner gave Hanfmann a seventh set point. Zverev floated a reply long as Hanfmann grabbed a one-set lead with a clenched fist.




Hanfmann hung tough for the first half of the second set. Then Zverev began swinging more freely and firing shots more forcefully.

The Miami finalist ran off seven straight games sealing the second set and rolling to a 5-0 lead in the third.

The Rome champion stumbled a bit at the close. Zverev donated a break with a double fault as Hanfmann crept to 2-5.




The 21-year-old Zverev converted his third match point wrapping up a two-hour, eight-minute win to raise his record to 18-7 on the season.

No. 4-seeded Hyeon Chung was ruthlessly efficient eliminating Matthias Bachinger, 6-1, 6-1, in a 57-minute thrashing.

The Australian Open semifinalist won 25 of 28 first-serve points and denied all five break points he faced against the German wild card charging into his seventh consecutive quarterfinal of the year.

Chung's two-handed backhand is his signature shot; he showed an explosive forehand today, including lashing this laser down the line on match point.

Chung meets 2014 Munich champion Martin Klizan next.

Qualifier Klizan continued his recent roll with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 comeback conquest of Mirza Basic

The 122nd-ranked Klizan, who knocked off former No. 1 Novak Djokovic en route to the Barcelona quarterfinals last week,  has won nine of his last 10 matches, including playing through qualifying at Barcelona and Munich. 

 

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