Ben Shelton survives Joao Fonseca test in Munich, Zverev powers into semifinals

MUNICH, Germany — The top two seeds and last year’s finalists, Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton, continued their strong runs at the BMW Open by Bitpanda, both advancing to the semi-finals in Munich.

On a sunlit Friday at the MTTC Iphitos, Shelton came through a highly anticipated quarterfinal clash against João Fonseca of Brazil, battling to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory in front of a packed Center Court crowd.

The No. 2 seed of the ATP 500 event struck seven aces and won 84 per cent of his first-service points to prevail after one hour and 49 minutes.

“It was a much warmer day today with shorter rallies,” said Shelton, who enjoyed his first meeting with the 19-year-old Fonseca.

“He is an electric player, one of the rising stars on the tour. It’s a big match for him and there is a lot of excitement around him. He has many fans around the world, and I was looking forward to it, as it’s the type of atmosphere I like to play in. I’d love playing against him in Brazil one day. That’d be really cool.”

The 23-year-old American advanced to the semi-finals of an ATP Tour event for the 14th time and will face Slovakian qualifier Alex Molcan on Saturday.

In a battle of left-handers, Molcan defeated Denis Shapovaolov of Canada 6-4, 6-4. The world No. 166 won 57 per cent of the total points played to succeed in 78 minutes.

“At the beginning of the week, I wasn’t even sure if I was getting into the tournament. I took a risk, I came here and made into the main draw,” said Molcan, who became the lowest-ranked Munich semi-finalist since world No. 186 Gerald Melzer in 2015.

“I am playing well. It feels unreal. The last two years were tough. I was struggling a lot. I had to undergo two surgeries, and it was a pretty dark tennis time for me, but I still believed that I could get back to some good level. Last year at this time I was playing Futures, now I am into the semis of an ATP 500. I don’t even know what to say. I am just proud of myself and my team,” the former Top 40 player said.

Zverev overcomes early stumble against Cerundolo

Earlier, top seed Zverev delighted his home crowd with a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 win over fifth favourite Francisco Cerundolo.

The 27-year-old Argentine overcame a slow start and a double break down to clinch the opening set in just under an hour of play, but Zverev got back on track immediately, taking the match to a decider only 20 minutes later. The world No. 3 from Germany was the more solid player during the longer rallies in the final set and secured victory in two hours and 15 minutes.

“I was 4-1 up in the first set but then he started playing and returning unbelievably,” Zverev said. “My first-serve percentage was very high, and I returned close to the baseline, so there was nothing I could do. I was happy with my level, even in the first set, and I am definitely happy to earn my first win over Francisco on clay.”

Zverev has now reached his fifth tour-level semi-final this season.

“The confidence is there, and maybe I’m staying a bit calmer in certain situations,” Zverev added. “This was probably my best clay-court match of the season so far. Things are moving in the right direction, and I’m very satisfied with myself.”

Cobolli cruises into Zverev showdown in semifinals

In his fifth Munich semi-final, Zverev will face Flavio Cobolli, who beat Vit Kopriva of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2. The fourth-seeded Italian dominated the encounter from the outset, breaking his opponent’s serve four times to advance in one hour and 26 minutes.

“It wasn’t easy at all today. We fought for every point. It is always a pleasure to play against him, as he is also a nice guy,” said Cobolli after his first win over Kopriva in the pair’s third meeting, their first on the ATP Tour.

“I played a good match and was positive on court today. I also remained focused in the second set, which can be a problem for me sometimes. The sun came out today and I like to play in these conditions. Now I have to think about the semi-finals, which will be another big match.”