ATP Munich Final Prediction: Alexander Zverev vs Ben Shelton

Deservedly, the top two seeds, Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton, will compete for the ATP Munich Open title on Sunday afternoon. They have been the two standout players in the tournament, demonstrating remarkable resilience to snatch victories from the jaws of defeat during the week. Assuredly, this will be a showpiece for the fans, but we at LWOT offer our prediction about who will go home with the trophy and 500 ATP points.

ATP Munich Final Prediction

Head to-head: Zverev 1-0 Shelton

If their previous encounter is anything to go by, the fans in Munich are in for an exciting match. Zverev and Shelton faced each other last summer in the Cincinnati Masters quarterfinals, where the German triumphed in a thrilling contest that went the distance.

Zverev is in desperate need of some positive results right now. The world #3 had not been at his best, posting a below par 6-7 record in his last 13 matches before this week and had exited in the first round at two of his last three events. However, he has begun to show signs of improvement, advancing in Munich with four solid wins to secure a spot in the final.

Zverev had a close call when Griekspoor served for a straight-set win on Friday, while Shelton fought through three match points against Borna Gojo in his first round. The 15th-ranked American significantly improved his game since then, defeating seasoned clay courters, Luciano Darderi in straight sets, along with a three-set victory over the in-form Francisco Cerundolo. While Shelton has been playing quite freely after surviving his first match, Zverev seems a bit tense, similar to how he played during his last ATP final at home. In the 2024 Hamburg final on clay, he faltered in a third-set tiebreaker and lost to Arthur Fils.

Although Zverev typically excels on clay, it’s important to remember that Shelton has already claimed one clay-court title (Houston 2024). It wouldn’t be surprising if he takes advantage of an opponent who will be under tremendous pressure from the home fans to secure the title. Zverev is now only one match away from tying Philipp Kohlschreiber’s record of three titles in Munich, while Shelton is the first American to reach a clay final above the ATP 250 level since Andre Agassi triumphed in Rome in 2002.

The German is ahead in their head-to-head following a win in last year’s Cincinnati quarter-finals, but they have never faced off on clay before. Shelton deserves significant recognition for fighting his way to the final. He has the potential to challenge the German, but we’re predicting Zverev will prevail in three sets and capture his third title in Munich.

Prediction: Zverev in 3