In the quarterfinal match of the BMW Open between top-seed Alexander Zverev and fifth-seed Francisco Cerundolo, the German appeared to be well on his way to an easy victory. He was the defending champion after all, playing in his country, and he certainly wouldn't stop until he won in Munich for the fourth time overall.
After jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first set and on serve, the German suddenly couldn't do anything right. He lost to drop to 4-2 and then lost again, and he kept losing, except for one game, to drop the opening set 5-7. If Cerundolo, a clay-court specialist from Argentina, needed further proof he could win the match, that was it.
Zverev's dip in form was only a half-set blip, however. He stormed back to win the second set 6-0 in less than 30 minutes. Cerundolo wasn't suddenly playing much worse, but Zverev had raised his game to a level the Argentine couldn't match.
Alexander Zverev defeats Francisco Cerundolo at the 2026 BMW Open
The top-seed kept pushing the fifth-seed side to side, and Cerundolo had to be tired by the end of the set. As all tennis fans know, however, a break between sets can often lead to a reset in one's entire life outlook. Rest is the great equalizer sometimes.
Cerundolo held, though under great duress, to open the third set, and Zverev held at love in the next game. The next game seemingly decided what the outcome of the match would be as Zverev got a break. He would get another later in the set to lead 5-2, but then he was also up a double-break in the first set before Cerundolo stunned him by coming back.
There would be no such drama in the third set, however, as Zverev held to take the match. After dropping the first set, Zverev would only drop two more games the rest of the way, helped by Francisco Cerundolo hitting 17 winners, but 40 unforced errors. The German finished with 23 and 24, respectively.
Alexander Zverev will next play fourth-seed and ATP No. 16, Flavio Cobolli, in the semifinals of the 2026 BMW Open. Cobolli defeated Vit Kopriva in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
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