Alexander Zverev enters the fray

On Thursday, the number 1 seed at the BOSS OPEN, Alexander Zverev, will also begin his quest for the title. Junior sensation Justin Engel is the second German in action.

The 17-year-old from Nuremberg also has the honor of opening Thursday on Center Court at 11 a.m. with his round of 16 match. He will face the tournament's number 7 seed, American Alex Michelsen. A victory over the American would be Engel's biggest career success to date in his very first grass court tournament.

In the second match of the day, Frenchman Giovanni Mpethshi Perricard will face the number 4 seed, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The highlight of the day will not come until 3 p.m., when Alexander Zverev, the number 1 seed in the tournament, will enter the tournament against Frenchman Corentin Moutet. Moutet defeated Italian veteran Fabio Fognini in the first round, while Zverev arrived in Stuttgart on Monday after competing in the French Open. Since then, the Hamburg native has been training intensively on grass and has high expectations for the tournament. For Zverev, it is a comeback at Weissenhof after six years. "I'm happy to be here. The facility is beautiful. The fans are really looking forward to it and I hope I have a great week here."

The day will conclude with an all-American duel between young star Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima.

Doubles action on Colosseum Court

Fans will also be treated to four matches starting at 12 noon on Colosseum Court – but it’s double the fun, in fact, as all of the scheduled matches are doubles matches. These include the second appearance of Germany's number one pair, Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz, who will face the American pairing of Alex Michelsen/Rajeev Ram.