BMW Open Winners 2005, 2006 & 2007

2007 Champion: Philipp Kohlschreiber

German, Philipp Kohlschreiber, had local fans mesmerised when he took on third seed, Mikhail Youzhny and comprehensively beat him in the second and third sets to claim the BMW Open crown. The unseeded Kohlschreiber had to dig deep after the Russian claimed the first set 2-6 with ease.

Kohlschreiber became the first German since Michael Stich in 1994 to claim the title – it is also his first career ATP title. The 23-year-old claimed the scalps of three of the top five seeds of the event, number five Jarkko Nieminen in the second round, fourth seed Marcos Baghdatis in the semi-finals and Youzhny in the final.

Kohlschreiber took an early 2-0 lead in the first set before the aggressive Russian responded and won the next six games in a row. The German fought back and claimed the second and third sets 6-3, 6-4 in a match that lasted just over two hours.

2006 Champion: Olivier Rochus

Fifth seed, Belgian Olivier Rochus, claimed his second career title when he defeated his close friend and countryman, Kristof Vliegen in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. It was the first time in the tournament’s history that the final was contested by an all-Belgian cast.

The two compatriots have only met on one other occasion, in Umag, Croatia in 2004, and this time around it was the turn of the younger Belgian, Vliegen, to claim the honours in three sets.

Rochus made history when he and doubles partner, Xavier Malisse, caused a major upset at the 2004 French Open by winning the men’s doubles title. His other claim to fame is that at 5’5” he is the shortest player of the BMW Open winners (2005, 2006 & 2007) and on the ATP Tour.

2005 Champion: David Nalbandian

David Nalbandian dominated the 2005 BMW Open. The top seed of the event lost just one set in five matches to claim his third ATP title, his first since 2002.

In the semi-final against Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, he won the last seven games of the match, letting the Finn win only 11 points in the second set.

Nalbandian trounced Andrei Pavel of Romania in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 in the final. Earlier Pavel had put paid to local hero, Tommy Haas’ dream of becoming the first German in 13 years to lift the coveted title.

Will the Europeans continue to dominate as the the BMW Open winners (2005, 2006 & 2007)?