ATP Munich: Alexander Zverev eliminated in the quarterfinals
Defending champion Alexander Zverev failed in the quarter-finals of the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Munich in the quarter-finals. The German number one was defeated by Cristian Garin from Chile in three sentences.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: May 03, 2019, 07:21 pm
By Jens Huiber from Munich
Alexander Zverev had ruled the center court at MTTC Iphitos in Munich for more than two years - but the title holder from 2017 and 2018 had to stretch out against Chilean Cristian Garin. And ended up losing 4: 6, 7: 5 and 5: 7.
The German Davis Cup team boss Michael Kohlmann had already warned from Garin during the week: The 22-year-old from Santiago de Chile went very well into the field, was a danger for many players, especially in slow conditions. And it was slow on this quarter-final Friday in Munich. Especially since it had rained again at lunchtime. Which postponed the beginning of the game between Zverev and Garin again.
Garin with the comeback in set one
Zverev got off to a good start, taking the break to 2-0. Had to give up his serve in the fifth game as well as in the seventh. 6: 4 for Garin after 36 minutes. In the second round, it was the outsider who was the first to gain an advantage: Garin took the serve to Zverev 2-1.
Garin had no problems with Yannick Maden or Diego Schwartzman in the first two rounds, and Alexander Zverev also acted confidently in the only appearance against Juan Ignacio Londero. However, the native of Hamburg seemed too impatient against the Chileans and could not rely on free points with his first serve as usual. Nevertheless, Zverev came back and made it 3: 3. With a break to zero. Garin won the game 5: 4. And then awarded three match balls. Moments later, Zverev had made the sentence equalization.
In the decision, the third in the world rankings initially took the momentum with them, making it 2-0. Garin struggled, immediately managed the rebreak. Garin, who won the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Houston this year, also countered the loss to 2: 4 at the first opportunity. After 2:03 hours of play, Zverev had his first two match balls, a few millimeters decidedly to the disadvantage of the German. Then there was his serve to 5: 6 with a double fault. This time the outsider kept his nerve. And ensured victory after 2:12 hours.
In the subsequent press conference, Zverev was naturally kinked. "It was very frustrating. Everything is going against me right now," said the 22-year-old, referring to the tight decision on his first match ball. "It was nice to have won nine matches in a row here, but everything is coming to an end."
Garin will face Marco Cecchinato in the semifinals on Saturday. The Italian won three sets in the first quarter-final against Marton Fucsovics.