By Alberto Amalfi | Saturday, May 2, 2021
Nikoloz Basilashvili did not drop a set en route to his fifth career title in Munich; it's his third championship on German soil.
Photo credit: @BMWOpen2021
Nikoloz Basilashvili hails from Georgia but sure looks at home on German soil.
Basilashvili banged six aces and denied the lone break point he faced defeating Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-6(5) in today's Munich BMW Open final.
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The fifth-seeded Basilashvili did not drop a set capturing his fifth career title, including his second of the season.
"It's a very good boost and to win a lot of matches is very important for the upcoming tournaments," said Basilashvili. "I was hungry to play well at this tournament."
Earlier this season, Basilashvili saved a match point against Roger Federer in the quarterfinals before fending off Roberto Bautista Agut in the final for his fourth title on the hard courts of Doha.
Today, Basilashvili joins Miami Open champion Hubert Hurkacz as the second two-time title winner on the ATP Tour in 2021.
The 29-year-old Basilashvili improved to 14-2 on German red clay. Three of his five career titles have come on Germany clay, including back-to-back championships in Hamburg in 2018-2019.
The seventh-seeded Struff, who snapped an 0-7 career ATP semifinals record defeating Ilya Ivashka yesterday, showed nerves at the start before settling in to play a strong match.
Basilashvili exploited the German's jitters breaking at 15 and winning eight of the first nine points building a 2-0 lead. The world No. 35 served out the opening set at 15.