16:06
J.-L. Struff – T. Paul 7: 6 0: 1
And there it happened! Struff fends off the first breakball, but then the German makes an unnecessary forehand mistake. The first break of the game goes to Tommy Paul!
16:05
J.-L. Struff – T. Paul 7: 6 0: 0
Struff had played his way into the tie break very confidently and did not give any service there either. Now, however, the German is under a lot of pressure, has the first two breakballs against him here.
16:00
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 7:6
Round number one goes to the Warsteiner! Struff ends this first set with the 12th ace. And we remember: It is the 33-year-old’s first set win against this opponent.
15:59
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 6:6 (6:4)
Struff has been doing his serves well so far and now has the chance to bring in the first set.
15:57
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 6:6 (4:2)
Struff gets his first serve after the mini-break and makes it 4: 2. Now the sides are changed.
15:55
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 6:6 (3:1)
With the previous serve strength of the two, a possible mini-break could of course already point the way. And it is Jan-Lennard Struff who is the first to take the serve from his opponent here
15:53
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 6:6
And unsurprisingly, it actually goes into the tie break after just under 35 minutes. That alone shows what a service firework the two burn off here and how short the rallies are.
3:50 p.m
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 5:6
There is no real flow of play in the first set. The service rates of the two are too good. Paul also gets through his service without any problems.
15:49
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 5:5
Struff serves against the loss of the set, but shows no nerves. With his strong serve he makes it 5:5 in less than a minute.
15:45
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 4:5
The tie break is heading towards a tie break, which currently seems to be the most likely solution for this sentence. The two players serve too well. So now Paul, too, who makes it 5:4 with his fifth ace.
15:44
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 4:4
An ace and a service winner later, the Warsteiner turned the game in his favor again. After a forehand mistake by Paul, he easily scored the 4:4.
15:42
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 3:4
And now Struff has to tremble a little for the first time. After his first double fault, he is 15:30 behind.
15:40
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 3:4
If Paul has to serve over the second serve, his success rate is very low at under 50%. However, the American serves too well in this phase and can make it 4: 3.
15:36
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 3:3
It’s head to head towards crunch time! The service of both players is too good. Above all, Struff with six aces already leaves no chance for the opponent.
15:32
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 2:3
After the previously tight service game with a deflected breakball, Paul is more confident in his service this time. Nevertheless, it seems as if Struff is a little better in the game when it comes to rallies.
15:29
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 2:2
Struff also designed his second service game much more confidently. Above all, he can continue to score with the strong serve, as the 33-year-old has only had to go over the second serve so far.
15:26
J.-L. Struff-T.Paul 1:2
With the serve and volley, however, Paul quickly fends off the breakball and follows up with two strong services. Instead of the break, it is now 2: 1 for the 26-year-old.
15:25
J.-L. Struff – T.Paul 1:1
And now there is actually the first breakball of the game! Struff gets into the rally well and can actually get the chance to take the serve from the opponent with a forehand.
15:24
J.-L. Struff – T.Paul 1:1
Struff now risks more on the return because Paul sometimes has to go over the second serve. Lo and behold: Struff can already put pressure on the American with 30: 0!
15:22
J.-L. Struff – T.Paul 1:1
But Struffi immediately follows up. He also gets through his serve very quickly because he serves too well. Although the 33-year-old allows a point from the opponent, he will be able to cope with it.
15:21
J.-L. Struff – T Paul 0: 1
The game starts with a serve from Tommy Paul. And this service game is over in no time at all, because Struff only gets one service in the entire service game.
15:10
Clear thing?
The direct comparison of the two should give Jan-Lennard Struff very little encouragement. The two have met four times so far, and the American has had the upper hand four times. The Warsteiner has not even been able to win a set against Paul. The two have faced each other again this year, twice. At the Australian Open and in Indian Wells, Struff had no chance. In addition to the current form, Struff could at least give some encouragement that the two are facing each other on grass for the first time today.
15:01
Center Court is free!
The next quarter-finalist has been determined! Taylor Fritz beats Aslan Karatsev to advance to next round! This means that there is now also space for Struff and Paul, who cannot start punctually at 3 p.m., but it is their turn in a timely manner.
14:53
Not the favorite topping
However, the German shouldn’t have it that easy today, because with Tommy Paul Struff meets number 16 in the world. The American does not really feel at home on grass, for the first time he is taking the grass season two seasons in a row. Last year he was able to play his way into the round of 16 at Wimbledon on this surface. That alone shows that Paul can also be expected on the green surface.
14:41
Struff in top form – with one exception
Apart from the French Open, where Struff had to give up in the first round, the Warsteiner played a great clay court season. The absolute highlight was certainly the final in Madrid. Reaching the final also catapulted the German into the top 25 in the world for the first time. Of course, Struffi would like to continue to present itself in top form in Stuttgart. At least in his opening match, he managed to do that. After all, it took him just 57 minutes to beat Zhizhen Zhang.
14:22
Welcome!
Good day and hello to the ATP tournament in Stuttgart! The last sixteen finals are on the program today, Thursday! Jan-Lennard Struff is also part of the game. The German will have to deal with Tommy Paul from the USA at 3 p.m. at the earliest.