Danish teenager Rune to face Dutchman Van de Zandschulp in Munich final
The two men are both appearing in their first ATP Tour final
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Danish teenager Holger Rune will face Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in the final of the BMW Open in Munich – a first for both players on the ATP Tour.
One day after his 19th birthday, Rune booked a place in his first career final with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Oscar Otte of Germany, while Van de Zandschulp upset in-form Serb Miomir Kecmanovic 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach his first final at the age of 26.
Rune, who upset defending champion Alexander Zverev in the second round, is through to his first final without even dropping a set, making his decision to pull of out of qualifying for next week’s Madrid Masters seem an even wiser choice.
World No 60 Otte, also chasing his first final, put up a good fight but Rune was too strong throughout, clinching victory after one hour, 28 minutes.
Van de Zandschulp ends Kecmanovic hopes
The 26-year-old Van de Zandschulp, who upset Casper Ruud in the previous round, recovered from a slow start to clinch victory over Kecmanovic after two hours, 52 minutes.
Kecmanovic has enjoyed a brilliant start to 2022, reaching five straight quarter-finals before this week, including outstanding runs in Indian Wells and Miami.
Ranked two places above Van de Zandschulp, the Serb took the first set with ease but after Van de Zandschulp snatched the second set on the tiebreak, the momentum changed. The Dutchman led by an early break and though Kecmanovic broke back, Van de Zandschulp broke again in the 10th game to clinch victory.
“It was a long match, tough conditions, the court was so heavy, so I’m happy I made it through,” the Dutchman said, quoted by the ATP website. “It didn’t look like (it) after the first set, so I’m really happy with the win.”
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