Andy Murray won the dream final of the 2015 BMW Open by FWU AG 2015, which was postponed until Monday due to persistent rain. It was the first time in the history of the tournament that it had been left without a winner on the Sunday. The match between Murray and Philipp Kohlschreiber was delayed with the score at 3:2 in Kohlschreiber’s favour. When play resumed on Monday, the match soon developed into a hard-fought duel, with the world number three eventually emerging victorious 7:6 (4), 5:7 and 7:6 (4) after 3:05 hours of high-class tennis.
Victory in Munich was the first ATP title on clay of the Scot’s career, and also marked the first British success on clay since 1976. As well as winning gold at the 2012 Olympic Games, Murray has now won 32 ATP titles, including the 2012 US Open and Wimbledon in 2013. Kohlschreiber missed out on his third title at the MTTC Iphitos, having previously won in 2007 and 2012.
“This title means an awful lot to me,” said Murray. “After all, it was my first on clay. I really enjoyed the week here in Munich. It was a magnificent tournament. Philipp was actually the better player in the third set today, but the key points went my way. The weather didn’t bother me. As a Scot, I’m used to the rain.”
Despite unsettled weather, a record 36,174 spectators flocked to the premises of the host club MTTC Iphitos e.V. over the course of the week. The association with the city of Munich was also apparent during the presentation ceremony at the 100th staging of the “International Tennis Championships of Bavaria”: for the first time, tournament winner Murray was presented with a pair of Lederhosen – and, to the delight of the fans, he tried them on there and then. The 27-year-old then received the key to the impressive winner’s car – the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid – which he promptly took for a spin on centre court.
Peter van Binsbergen, Head of Sales and Marketing BMW Group Germany, presented the trophy and car key. He said: “We have had a very entertaining week of tennis. The BMW Open held the spectators under its spell with a great display of top-class international tennis. Congratulations to Andy Murray on his victory at the 100th anniversary of this tournament. We now look ahead with great joy to 2016 and the next anniversary: the 100th anniversary of BMW. I hope Andy Murray enjoys driving the BMW i8. The spectacular sports car of the future was the ideal car for the winner of a remarkable tournament.”
Kohlschreiber said: “I am obviously disappointed to have come up short. However, the two best players over the course of the week faced each other in the final. I did my best again, and played my best tennis – but there can only be one winner. It was fantastic to see so many spectators here today. It was a great atmosphere and really spurred me on. The spectators deserved what was probably the best final in the history of the BMW Open.”
The doubles final was also delayed until Monday, with Germans Mischa and Alexander Zverev losing out to Alexander Peya (AUT) and Bruno Soares (BRA) after an epic battle 1:6, 6:4 and 5:10.
