MUNICH — Holger Rune defended his BMW Open title with a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (3) win over Botic van de Zandschulp in the final on Sunday.
Van de Zandschulp retired from last year’s final with an aching chest, and the 19-year-old Rune was made to work significantly harder to retain the title, eventually sealing the win after nearly three hours of play.
Rune, who had previously never lost a set at the Munich event, had a problem with his upper right arm in the third set, but he managed to save four championship points and recover from twisting his ankle before dominating the tiebreaker.
It’s Rune’s fourth tour-level title.