Professional tennis circuit - Tennis player Struff may have a new chance at victory in Stuttgart.
Last year's runner-up Jan-Lennard Struff is just a win away from a potential rematch with defending champion Frances Tiafoe in the Wimbledon warm-up tournament in Stuttgart. If the German number two in men's tennis beats American Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals on Friday, it'd be great to have a repeat of the exciting 2023 final at TC Weissenhof. As long as Tiafoe manages to maintain his favorite status by beating British player Jack Draper.
"Of course, it would be awesome to play this match again," said Struff after his successful performance in Stuttgart this year. He's not too familiar with Nakashima, the 22-year-old American, as they haven't played against each other before. However, his world ranking (35th) shows his potential. The same goes for the quarterfinals.
Another strong serving match
On Thursday, the last remaining German participant in the Stuttgart grass event made it to the quarterfinals by defeating Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6:4, 7:6 (7:0). Struff won the tiebreak in the second set without giving up a point. "In the tiebreak, it was quite good. I just got a good start. And I managed to stay aggressive and take the momentum to my side," said Struff.
His powerful serve was a key factor in his eighth final win. He handled his service games flawlessly, remaining in the lead throughout the match. Rinderknech didn't threaten his serve until 5:4. At that point, Struff took advantage of a brief weakness in his French opponent's game to win the first set. After a challenging tiebreak that lasted 79 minutes, he managed to secure his win with his first match point.
First ATP Tour title in Munich
"It was a challenging match, but also a good match," evaluated Struff. He loves playing in Germany and appreciates the support he receives in Stuttgart. "It's a nice tournament, it's fun to play," said the Warsteiner, who is hoping for some warmer weather.
In April, Struff scored his first title victory on the ATP Tour in Munich. In Stuttgart, he's still one victory short of achieving the same. The tournament with a prize money of 812,235 euros has only one German left in the singles. Yannick Hanfmann from Karlsruhe and Dominik Koepfer from Schwarzwald have already been eliminated in the eighth final. French Open finalist Alexander Zverev withdrew from the event after losing in Paris. The Hamburg player will begin his grass season next week in Westphalia. [PS: Apologies for any errors, English is my second language]
