Meanwhile, Hugo Nys and Tim Puetz bag their maiden ATP Tour team title at the Millennium Estoril Open.
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Nikoloz Basilashvili has defeated seventh seed Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-6 in a hard-fought Munich final on Sunday. Securing his fifth ATP Tour title, Basilashvili completed the week at the BMW Open without dropping a set in five matches. The 30-minute rain interruption did not even affect the fifth-seeded Georgian’s concentration as he ran away with the title.
“It was very difficult. It’s never easy playing Jan, he’s a very big fighter and serves really well,” Basilashvili said. “I am super happy. It seems like German conditions suit me. This is my fifth [ATP Tour] title and it will give me confidence for the upcoming tournaments.”
Basilashvili, who captured the Qatar ExxonMobil Open crown in March, won eight of the first nine points against Struff. The play was suspended due to rain with the Georgian leading 4-2. But Basilashvili’s momentum did not drop as he returned to wrap up the 35-minute opening set.
The second set was not straight forward. With both players serving at their best, it was a struggle for the other player to earn breakpoints. With nothing to separate them, the match went into a tie-breaker, where Basilashvili prevailed to lift the trophy.
“It’s a very good boost and to win a lot of matches is very important for the upcoming tournaments,” said Basilashvili. “I was hungry to play well at this tournament… I’m not looking for a coach right now, but I am travelling with a physio and a fitness coach.”
Meanwhile, Wesley Koolhof and Kevin Krawietz clinched their maiden ATP Tour team title at the BMW Open in Munich on Sunday. The top-seeded Dutch-German team registered a 4-6, 6-4, 10-5 victory over third-seeded Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in 87 minutes. This match was also interrupted for 35 minutes in the second set by rain.
Hugo Nys and Tim Puetz secured their first ATP Tour team title on Sunday at the Millennium Estoril Open. It was the second successive Match Tie-breaker the Monegasque-German pair was involved in.
And for a second time they survived it to defeat Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot 7-5, 3-6, 10-3. “We are very, very happy… We have known each other for a very long time and we have just recently decided to play more tournaments together,” Puetz said.
“It has been a really good start. We won a Challenger at the beginning of the year, made the semi-finals in Marbella and now won here. We just want to keep improving… This is a really great week and it is a very [good] tournament. We have beaten four very good teams… I am definitely very happy and I am sure Hugo feels the same.”
