Professional men's tennis tour - Following Zverev's pull-out, Struff experienced a promising debut in Stuttgart.
Full of good memories from last year's feelings, Jan-Lennard Struff plans to create an emotionally fulfilling tennis week in Stuttgart once more. Not long after the official announcement of French Open finalist Alexander Zverev's withdrawal, the Sauerlander made it to the second round of the grass event on Weissenhof. After a 7:6 (9:7), 6:3 victory against Italian outsider Flavio Cobolli, Struff advanced as one of the three German participants to the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
"It was unfortunate last year that it didn't work out in the back court; it was an outstanding final," shared Struff, who nearly won against the American pro Frances Tiafoe in 2023. "It's wonderful to be back on the court here. I'd, of course, like to play well again."
Three Germans strive for the quarterfinals
Struff's next rival will be the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech on Thursday. The Schwarzwald natives Dominik Koepfer (against the Italian Lorenzo Musetti) and the Karlsruher Yannick Hanfmann (against defending champion Tiafoe) are also fighting for a quarterfinal spot on Wednesday. Both will start day three of the tourney on Center Court (at 11 a.m.) in pursuit of surprises.
The 34-year-old Struff was heavily favored in his first-round match against the 12-year-old Cobolli. In a mishap, he accidentally struck a ball girl with his serve at 5:5 during a service game. He instantly apologized, and the ball girl was temporarily replaced, but returned to the court soon after.
In the tiebreak, Struff had two double faults, one that was at match point, but still managed to secure a first-round win. He clinched the break at 2:0 in the second set and boasted a staggering 13 aces.
"The first set was challenging as he served well. It wasn't a visual treat, but that's how it sometimes works on grass," assessed Struff and thanked the spectators: "It wasn't breathtaking rallies; many quick points, but the support was fantastic."
Zverev's withdrawal "reasonable to a certain degree"
Sadly, tennis fans in Stuttgart won't have the best German tennis player Zverev this year. Just as predicted, the 27-year-old announced his planned involvement a few days after his lost French Open final.
"I've played a lot of tennis over the past few weeks and reached the final in Paris, where I battled through five grueling sets. I feel like my body isn't ready to transition from clay to grass right away," said the Hamburg native in the organizers' announcement of his withdrawal.
The shocking withdrawal of the German number one was "reasonable to some extent," said tournament director Edwin Weindorfer. "We anticipate welcoming Alexander Zverev back in Stuttgart again next year, in line with our long-term agreement."
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