The script looked familiar. Francisco Cerundolo held a 3-0 head-to-head lead on clay and pocketed the first set 7-5 on Friday afternoon in Munich. Yet Alexander Zverev flipped the match on its head, storming through 6-0, 6-2 to reach the BMW Open semifinals.
The first set had offered false hope to the German crowd. Zverev led 4-1 before watching Cerundolo reel off six straight games to take the set 7-5. The Argentine, the third player this season to reach ten clay wins, appeared to have found the key by varying his backhand angles and pouncing on any short ball.
The shift came immediately in the second set. Down a set and visibly frustrated by his unforced errors, the German switched gears. More aggressive returns, a tighter position behind the baseline: Cerundolo could never settle into his trademark baseline exchanges. The second set turned into a masterclass. Not a single game conceded, six straight games delivered with clinical precision. The Argentine found himself suffocated by the defending champion's intensity and accuracy, unable to produce the winners that had made the difference in the opener.
The third set only confirmed the trend. An early break, rock-solid serving, and a Cerundolo unable to recapture the rhythm of his opening set. In two hours and fifteen minutes, Zverev shattered a head-to-head that had consistently escaped him on this surface. It marks the first time he has beaten the Argentine on clay.
With this win, the world No. 3 reaches his ninth semifinal of the 2026 season and will defend his Munich crown with the confidence of a player who knows how to turn the tide. His next opponent will emerge from the Shapovalov-Molcan quarterfinal.
