German wild card Yannick Hanfmann upset this year’s Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-3 at the BMW Open in Munich.
Mensik was playing in his first match since the Miami Open final, where he beat Novak Djokovic to win his first Masters 1000 titles last March.
Hanfmann entered the match with a 2-5 record this year, but he returned to his best shape in Munich by stopping Mensik’s six match winning streak.
Hanfmann earned a break in the ninth game of the first set to take a 5-4 lead. Mensik broke straight back in the 10th game to draw level to 5-5. Hanfmann went up a mini-break twice but Mensik pulled back on serve both times to draw level to 4-4. Hanfmann won the final three points to clinch the tie-break 7-4.
Mensik converted his second break point in the first game of the second set and held serve at 15 to open up a 2-0 lead. Hanfmann saved a total of three break points in the fifth and seventh games before serving out on his second set point in the 10th game. It’s the first tie-break Mensik has lost since last March. Mensik won all seven tie-breaks in Miami, including both in the final against Djokovic.
Hanfmann earned an early break in the second game to open up a 3-0 lead in the third set. Mensik never got back on serve.
“It means a lot. Coming off kind of a rough stretch of matches. I knew the level was there, but you never know when it’s going to click, when it’s going to come. It came in Munich today. I know that I like the conditions here, so also grateful to the tournament for giving me the opportunity with the wild card. Amazing feeling”,said Hanfmann.
Mariano Navone rallied from one set down to beat Felix Auger Aliassime 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) achieving his second top 20 win in ten attempts. Auger Aliassime broke twice in the first and third games to win the first set 6-2. Navone converted his fourth break points in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Auger Aliassime won three consecutive game to take a 4-3 lead. Navone broke twice in the eighth and tenth games to win the second set 6-4. Navone rallied from a break down in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Navone earned two mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-3.
