Alexander Zverev spent only one week at No. 3 in the world after getting passed for the second spot by Carlos Alcaraz when the Spaniard triumphed at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Zverev will return to No. 2 this coming week thanks to winning the BMW Open title on Sunday afternoon. The top-seeded German cruised past Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 11 minutes. It was a much-needed result for the birthday boy, who turned 28 on Sunday. He had been a mere 6-7 in his last 13 matches prior to arriving in Munich.
“It’s extremely special; I always love winning tournaments in Germany,” Zverev commented. “It’s probably the most special thing I can do. It’s definitely a great birthday present, let’s put it that way.”
Alcaraz would have stayed at No. 2 if he had answered Zverev’s title with a 500-point success of his own at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, but the two-time defending champion lost to Holger Rune 7-6(6), 6-2. Rune, a former Munich champ, capped off his second appearance in Barcelona by prevailing in one hour and 40 minutes.
The 21-year-old Dane snapped a 13-match losing streak against top-five opponents. For Alcaraz, the setback ended a 14-match winning streak in Barcelona.
“It means the world,” Rune assured. “It was such a great match. In the beginning I was a little bit stressed, because Carlos obviously plays bigtime tennis. I had to breathe a lot and find my rhythm. After he broke me, I got more into the match and played my tennis. The first set was a big battle; it was super important to win it and gain the momentum. I’m so proud of myself.”
nice one, Zverev and Rune
Good wins for Zv and Rune…but Carlos recovers and wins Madrid
if healthy
He was healthy. Just lost to a better player on the day.
Good luck.
I think this will completely turn around things for Rune. He is obviously in a much better place mentally now
need to see a lot more than a 500 title to be convinced
Wasn’t me again.