Once the Monte-Carlo Masters wraps up, Alexander Zverev will head to the Munich Open for what will be his only title defence of the season.

While 2025 hasn’t been a standout year for him so far, he did manage to pick up a title along the way.

He dropped just one set on his way to that title, which came during his quarterfinal against Tallon Griekspoor.

Zverev’s draw is looking favourable too, especially with Ben Shelton not returning and top seed Carlos Alcaraz pulling out of the event.

Zverev’s 2026 Munich Open draw sets him up for another strong run

Zverev, the top seed, has been given a favourable path in his title defence and is positioned on the opposite side of the draw from Shelton, whom he defeated in last year’s final.

With Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda and Jakub Mensik all pulling out ahead of the tournament, Zverev’s chances to repeat have already taken a boost. The draw has only added to that optimism.

Shelton finds himself in a much tougher section this time around. He’ll need to navigate through several strong players if he wants another shot at the title.

The lower half includes Joao Fonseca, Alexander Bublik and Stefanos Tsitsipas, along with veterans like Marin Cilic, Denis Shapovalov and Hubert Hurkacz.

Zverev will open his campaign against Miomir Kecmanovic before facing either Gabriel Diallo or a qualifier in the next round.

While Flavio Cobolli and Luciano Darderi could present some challenges later on, Zverev holds head-to-head advantages over both players heading into this year’s tournament.

Zverev holds a commanding head-to-head record over Ben Shelton

Despite the tough path, many are predicting another final between Shelton and Zverev, much like last year. And given their history, Zverev would likely welcome that matchup.

He holds a 5-0 record over Shelton at ATP Tour-level events, with four of those wins coming just last season.

Their first meeting was at the 2024 Cincinnati Open, where Zverev came out on top. He then followed it up with another win in the Munich final, and again later that year at the Stuttgart Open.

They met once more in Cincinnati in 2025, this time in the quarterfinals, where Zverev won convincingly 6-2, 6-2. He rounded out the season series with another victory at the ATP Finals to make it five straight.

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