STUTTGART NEWS & NOTES
*Matos-Melo are back to defending their Boss Open championship in 2025. The Brazilian combo won last year’s titles as an unseeded pair, beating another unseeded pair Cash-Galloway in the final. They were 2.24 (+124) underdogs in the championship match that needed a super tie break to settle. Matos-Melo were the first dogs to win the title match since 2018.
*Unseeded pairs have found some success in Stuttgart over the years. Three of the last six champions here have been unseeded. Last year did mark the first time an unseeded pair had been back to the title match since 2021. 2024 was a bookend to 2021 with all four semifinal duos being unseeded in both of those years. In the two years in between, seeds made up three of the four semifinal spots both times.
*The top seeds have not won Stuttgart since 2019. Further, they have only been to the title match twice in the nine years that Stuttgart has been played on grass. That seems like bad news for Krawietz-Puetz in 2025. The Germans did make the final here in their debut back in 2023, but they were seeded fourth that year. Last year, they lost their opener as … the top seeds.
*Seeds were swept out of the opening round a year ago in Stuttgart. Three of the four resulted in underdog scores at 2.09 (+109), 2.58 (+158) and 4.21 (+321). That was the first one and dones for seeded pairs since 2022. That year, only one of the four seeds fell in round one. 2023 did not see any of the seeded pairs losing early. Overall, three of the last five runs of the BOSS Open have seen multiple seeds lose their openers.
*Underdogs had a nice run in 2024 with six of the 15 completed matches seeing dogs bark. The largest hit came in round one at 5.20 (+420) with four of the six dog wins coming in that same round. It was a nice switcheroo after only two underdogs scored wins here in 2023. Over the last four years, at least four underdogs have won matches, so it seems fair that we’ll see more of that in 2025. Round one looks like the place to focus with at least three underdog wins coming in three of the last four years in the opening round.
*Super tie breaks were sprinkled throughout the draw last year with seven STBs needed to settle matches. Four of those came in round one. 2024 had seen only four TOTAL super tie break endings. The high tally in recent times for super tie break matches came back in 2021, when ten of the 15 matches went the distance. If you’re looking for STBs after round one, check in on the semifinals. At least one semifinal has gone the distance in six of the last seven runs in Stuttgart.
THE UNSEEDED MENACES
We’re seeing some different pairings for the week with the surface switch. Given last year’s success for unseeded pairs and the quick switch from clay, it’s worth looking at who could be dangerous in the unseeded field.
Bhambri-Galloway
This is an underrated pair to begin with, but one thing they usually do is serve well. In their limited play (11 matches), they have seen tie breaks in ten of the 24 sets they’ve played. On a quick surface like grass, that number may rise this week. Galloway was part of the runner-up team last year with Julian Cash. Bhambri was 8-5 last year on grass, mainly with Olivetti. They lost to Cash-Galloway in the Stuttgart semifinals. I think they’ll have some moments at these smaller tournaments and will be dangerous more often than not.
Fritz-Lehecka
The two singles starts showed their prowess in one of the few doubles tournaments they played in and guess what surface it was? One guess. Just one. Yes, it was on grass at Queen’s Club back in 2023. It was their first tournament together and they ran all the way to the final with wins over Nys-Zielinski and Koolhof-Skupski in the mix. They haven’t paired since losing their Indian Wells opener a year ago, but this surface looks well suited to these two players who can hold their own on serve.
Arnaldi-Sonego
This pair is in the same vein as Fritz-Lehecka, but without the experience. Both Italians have played sporadically in doubles this year with a combined 4-5 record. What they have done mostly is be competitive in matches. On grass, their serves will aid their cause to keep a match close. They do get top seeds Krawietz-Puetz first up. That might be the best time to catch a veteran duo, transitioning to grass and playing round one. A win there and who knows how far this pair could go.
Hanfmann-Mies
The Germans are taking a wild card entry to pair up for the first time. Mies is the “specialist” of the two, but don’t sleep on Hanfmann who has had success on doubles. On grass last year with Koepfer, he split two matches in Stuttgart and made the semifinals the next week in Halle. As for Mies, he’s had a hard time this year at 6-15 with various partners. Still, he has a good pedigree on grass with a 22-16 all-time mark. Last year, he paired with JP Smith and made the semis in Hertogenbosch and the round of 16 at Wimbledon. It’s all about finding the right chemistry. If this pair has it, then they could be dangerous.
Engel-Struff
Another pair of Germans who took a wild card entry to get into the main draw. Keep your eyes on this combination of youth and experience. Engel is just 17, while Struff is twice his age. Struff carries the doubles pedigree to Stuttgart that I have always liked. He has played fewer doubles matches as he’s aged, but when he enters a doubles draw, he’s still almost always been a threat with any partner. I’ll have more on this duo below.
ONE AND DONE WATCH
Will all seeds go down again in round one? Will some survive? The transition to grass always provides a lot of questions even with most of these teams having plenty of practice team before they hit round one. With that, all four seeds will be on this week’s list.
(1)Krawietz-Puetz
Which Germans show up? The ones who made it to the final in 2023 or the ones who went out in round one a year ago? They’re obviously more than competent on grass with a Wimbledon semifinal and quarterfinal in the past two years. Still, in this first match on the surface, there are those questions. The good news is Arnaldi and Sonego, their first round foes, have never paired. The bad news is the two singles stars have played enough doubles to be competent and have the weapons to make for short points on this surface. I expect a competitive battle no matter the outcome.
(2)Doumbia-Reboul
The French pair were one of the “in form” teams coming to Paris, but fell early in round two. That was about right given their history at Roland Garros. Grass had been poison for them before 2024, when they racked up five of their seven career wins on the surface. It remains to be seen if that was an apparition or more true to who they are now. They’ll start with Balaji/Reyes-Varela who have seen them twice in 2025. Doumbia-Reboul won in straight on hard courts in Acapulco before edging a 12-10 super tie break at the Aix en Provence Challenger on clay. The opposition has played more Challengers than ATP level matches in 2025, but they have usually been a tough out.
(3)Bopanna-Gille
Bopanna swaps Pavlasek for Gille was the calendar flips to grass. This is a pairing that will stick through Wimbledon, so it’s intriguing to watch it in its infancy. Gille-Vliegen had trouble winning on grass, but Bopanna has seen plenty of wins on this surface. This is all going to be about whether the chemistry is there early or not. I do like this pairing on this surface, but it might take some time to see the best results. That means Schnaitter-Wallner could have a shot in round one. The plus is that the Germans are playing at home. The negative is that this is their first ever match on grass after 197 career matches together. They made the Heilbronn Challenger final on clay, so they come in hot on home soil. Expect a good fight here with definite upset potential as both teams sort themselves out on grass.
(4)Matos-Melo
They were champions here in 2024, but their form definitely puts them on this list. The Brazilians have lost six straight openers at the ATP level dating back to Miami. The only wins they have since March came at a clay Challenger in mid-May, but it was right back to losing openers in the two ATP tournaments that followed. They get another German wild card pair in Engel-Struff. We all know Struff who has tapered off his doubles play the last three years. He’s still got it though with just four matches this year, all four saw super tie break finishes (2-2). Last year he played just three tournaments, but made two finals and the quarterfinals at the Olympics. He’s charged with meshing with 17-year old Justin Engel. He’s got some doubles under his belt at this level having made the quarterfinals on clay in Munich and getting a win over Lammons-Withrow in Hamburg, both paired with Max Rehberg. Given the Brazilians struggles and the Germans playing on home soil, this will be one to look at if you’re searching for underdogs with a chance.
DRAW PREVIEW
TOP HALF
The first quarter has top seeds Krawietz-Puetz. They had a consistent run during the clay court season, but fell in round two at Roland Garros. This is their third time playing Stuttgart. I laid out the failure of the top seeds in Stuttgart’s history, so that’s working against Krawietz-Puetz who fell victim to that curse in a round one defeat in 2024. Arnaldi-Sonego could be tricky to start and survival secures nothing. I expect the pair that advances between Hanfmann-Mies and Michelsen-Ram to have a real shot to move on in this quarter. The Michelsen-Ram combo could be compelling. Most of Michelsen’s early doubles play has come with less experienced partners. Ram will provide the veteran leadership he has not seen in a doubles match. Will that matter? I think if nothing else, it invigorates Ram to have a youthful partner and perhaps that gets them both going. I’d still have to give the edge to the home-standing Germans though in Hanfmann-Mies, but you never know until you see the pairs play for the first time.
The other quarter houses (3)Bopanna-Gille. They will also be dealing with a potentially tough start to their partnership. Facing Schnaitter-Wallner will force the third seeds to find their chemistry quick. The German duo may not have grass court experience, but they do have the chemistry and come in with good form. Expect tight sets and certainly there is room for an upset in that one. The match opposite of this pits Fritz-Lehecka against Jebens-Olivetti. Jebens-Olivetti have one match together, a 7-6, 6-3 loss in Miami to Vliegen-Withrow. Olivetti has that monster serve that should do well on grass again. Last year, he went 6-3 on the surface with Bhambri that included the semifinal run here in Stuttgart. I outlined Fritz-Lehecka earlier in the unseeded menaces section, so they will be ones to watch for sure. I’d be stunned if there isn’t a tie break or two in this match with a super tie break possible as well. Fritz-Lehecka are favorites here due to their past experience, but they’ll have to prove worthy again after 16 months since their last match together.
If you can’t tell from my rambling, I find this top half of the draw wide open. Krawietz-Puetz would seem to have the edge with experience and playing on home soil, but top seeds have not found the championship touch here since 2019. Do they break that streak? Perhaps, but with so many of these other pairs playing either for the first time or with relatively small sample sizes, it’s hard to say one of them isn’t capable of stealing that finals spot. I’ll stick with the anti #1 trend here and go with Frtiz-Lehecka. Their quarter has a lot of similar pairs with less experience together or on grass. Keep eyes on the survivor between Hanfmann-Mies and Michelsen-Ram. Something tells me that they could be a sleeper type.
My Favorite: Fritz-Lehecka
My Sleeper: Hanfmann-Mies
BOTTOM HALF
The seeds may not necessarily be safer in this bottom half, although I will say that Doumbia-Reboul may have the best path of any seeds. Starting in their quarter, the two seeds do face a tough task in Balaji/Reyes-Varela, but they have the grass court experience that might make a small difference. The other match in that quarter sees Erler-Frantzen battling Cabral-Miedler with the former Austrian partners (Erler-Miedler) across the net from each other for the first time. Cabral-Miedler were rolling on clay at Challengers, four finals (2 titles), and made the semis in Geneva at the ATP level. Can they transition that success to grass? Erler-Frantzen have played other surfaces with a 15-12 record this year, but 20 of those did come on clay. They are also ones we really need to see on grass. Cabral-Miedler I think are fairly set as small favorites in this one based on their success rate, but it’s certain fair to ask if that means anything on grass. I think if Doumbia-Reboul get out of round one, they are the ones who could move through this half.’
The other quarter houses (4)Matos-Melo. The defending champions have had all sorts of issues since their high point of the season during the South American clay swing in February. I highlighted those earlier with the six straight opening losses at this level. Their run here last year was a surprise, but they were able to sneak out three super tie break wins en route to that championship. Overall, they looked comfortable on grass and didn’t have much momentum last year either. If they avoid defeat to Engel-Struff in round one, then it’s on and perhaps grass was what they needed. That one might have super tie break written all over it. The match opposite this could be a good one with Bhambri-Galloway taking on Gonzalez-Krajicek. I’m team Bhambri-Galloway in that one. I still believe Bhambri is an underrated doubles guy who probably should be looked at by one of the more veteran players who continue to partner swap through 2025. Galloway is no slouch himself, so I’m looking at them to push through. Gonzalez-Krajicek may be solid on this surface, but I’m wondering if they need a bit more time to really get it going after a middling clay swing at the ATP level. Gonzalez did make the final here back in 2021 with Marcelo Demoliner, so do keep that factoid in your back pocket.
We’re looking at another open half of the draw in my opinion. If Matos-Melo carried better form, they’d be easier to back as a pair that could simply flip the switch and go. Doumbia-Reboul might be disappointed after Roland Garros, but they’ve been there before and moved on. I like their set-up slightly better than Matos-Melo, but they’re still no sure thing to advance. Bhambri-Galloway and perhaps Balaji/Reyes-Varela are outsiders to consider. Engel-Struff to me are boom or bust and with Struff in a season-long slump in singles, can he turn things around now? Grass is good for his singles style, so perhaps if he gets inspired by a rare win, then the Germans could be a super sleeper to watch out for in this half.
My Favorite: Doumbia-Reboul
My Sleeper: Bhambri-Galloway
CLOSING TIME
It’s not always a surprise to start the grass court season, but this tournament in particular has a lot of questions among the seeds. For me, that means that it would be more suprising to see an all-seeded clash in the final than it would be to see a pair of unseeded teams going for the trophies. I’m sticking with history and going away from Krawietz-Puetz even though you can see a path for them to do well this week. Instead, I’m looking on the outside for contenders. Bhambri-Galloway are a pair that I do like a bit even though round one could easily be the end game for them this week. If a seeded pair wins this week, I think Doumbia-Reboul might have the better draw, but I am more intrigued by the possiblities of Bopanna-Gille. Again though, the questions are there as to whether they gel instantly or need more time?
I think it’s a crap shoot to start off the grass court swing and this should be a tournament where a lot of different pairs have a realistic shot to get hot and score a nice win to open things this Summer.
PIG PIX
Bhambri-Galloway
Bopanna-Gille
DOUBLES TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS & PICKS 