ATP Munich Sunday Preview

Florian Mayer vs. Nikolay Davydenko

The championship at the BMW Open by FWU Takaful on Sunday features the top German on the ATP World Tour attempting to collect his first title against a former World No. 3 trying to capture his 21st crown. Both players have dropped one set en route to the final.

No. 5 seed and top German Florian Mayer, who at the beginning of the week was 0-3 in Munich, looks to break his 0-3 ATP World Tour finals record against No. 7 seed and 2004 champion Nikolay Davydenko of Russia. This will be their fifth meeting (tied 2-2) and second on clay and in a final. They first met on clay in the final of Sopot in 2006 and Davydenko prevailed in three sets. In their last meeting in the first round of this year’s Australian Open, Mayer won in four sets.

Mayer is trying to become the first German to win the Munich title since Philipp Kohlschreiber in 2007 and the last German to win an ATP World Tour title was Benjamin Becker in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in June 2009. Mayer is also attempting to become the sixth first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season. Davydenko, who was runner-up in the first week of the year in Doha (l. to Federer), is appearing in his 27th career final on the ATP World Tour. He is 20-6 in finals (9-4 on clay) and he’s trying to extend his title streak of winning at least one ATP World Tour crown to nine straight years.

Other Russian winners in Munich are: Mikhail Youzhny (2010) and Andrei Chesnokov (1989).

The winner of BMW Open in Munich will take 68,850 € and 250 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points and the runner-up will win 36,250 € and 150 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points.

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