Alexander Zverev on the brink before escaping BMW Open disaster

Heading into the 2026 BMW Open first round, one might have expected the Alexander Zverev and Miomir Kecmanovic match to be fairly one-sided. After all, the German is the third-best player on the ATP, and quite consistent, and would be the favorite over anyone not named Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.

Not so fast, however. Zverev and Kecmanovic have played each other four times (all on hard courts), and have split the meetings. That includes earlier in 2026 when the Serbian, and current 58th-ranked player, defeated Zverev at the Acapulco Open. Kecmanovic wasn't going to lack confidence heading into the match.

In the first set, Zverev continued an issue that plagued him in the Monte-Carlo Masters, too. He normally lands 70 percent of his first serves, constantly putting pressure on his opponents to play at a high level. But just like in Monte-Carlo, the German landed only 57 percent of his first serves.

Alexander Zverev holds on against Miomir Kecmanovic at the BMW Open

He was winning most of those points, but the ATP No. 3's game relies on being metronomic in some aspects, and if his serve was suddenly a problem, that would be cause for concern. Still, it was the Serbian who had to try to keep fighting off break points, five in total, and was broken twice. Zverev was broken once, but took set one 6-3.

Ironically, in the second set, Zverev's serve percentage went up, but he began losing those points (he won only nine of 18) as Kecmanovic simply couldn't miss with his forehand. He knew he could win the match at that point, but the question was whether he could keep playing at his highest level.

In the third set, Alexander Zverev raised his level again, though. He began playing far more efficiently in every area, including limiting his unforced errors. Even with his better form, Kecmanovic stayed even with him. One might have assumed, however, that it was simply a matter of whether Zverev would break the Serbian, but when.

That assumption would have been logical, but incorrect. It was Zverev who struggled to hold at 5-all, getting down 0-30 before coming back to take the game. Tasked with serving to force a tie-break, Kecmanovic held relatively easily, his forehand becoming a weapon that Zverev had no real answer for.

In the tie-break, Zverev got a couple of minibreaks to take a commanding 5-1 lead. On the sixth point, he came into the net as Kecmanovic hit a shot directly at him that ticked off the net, so that the German had to hit the ball from between his own legs. The Serbian's return hit the net, likely as stunned by what had just happened as anyone. Zverev finished off the tie-break, set, and match 7-5.

Alexander Zverev will next play Gabriel Diallo in the second round. The ATP No. 37 destroyed qualifier Vitaliy Sachko in the first round 6-1, 6-2.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow