Krawietz and Puetz claim historic Shanghai doubles crown
In a season laced with mounting expectations, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz channeled their off-court friendship into on-court precision, breaking a 33-year German drought with a tense 6-4, 6-4 final win at the Shanghai Masters.
On the floodlit hard courts of the Shanghai Masters, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz delivered a masterclass in composure, defeating Andre Goransson and Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-4 to secure their first ATP Masters 1000 title as an all-German team. This victory on October 12, 2025, marked only the second such achievement for a German duo since 1990, following the 1992 Monte-Carlo Masters success of Boris Becker and Michael Stich. The humid night air thickened with tension as the pair converted three of eight break points, their crosscourt returns and down-the-line volleys slicing through the Swede-American duo’s power game.
Season’s strain builds unbreakable partnership
The road to Shanghai tested Krawietz and Puetz through a grueling calendar of clay-to-hard transitions, where early near-misses in other Masters events amplified the weight of Germany’s 33-year wait for doubles glory. Off the court, their genuine friendship—shared meals and team outings beyond tournaments—served as the glue, transforming seasonal doubts into shared resolve. By the semifinals, this bond sharpened their focus, dropping just one set en route while adapting to the surface’s medium-fast bounce with low slices and inside-out forehands that kept opponents off-balance.
In the final, the duo’s one–two patterns at net overwhelmed Goransson‘s volleys and Michelsen‘s flat groundstrokes, though a squandered 3-1 lead in the second set forced a quick tactical shift to deeper returns targeting backhands. Puetz‘s lefty serve curved wide, opening angles for Krawietz‘s poaching instincts, as the crowd’s rising energy mirrored the match’s pulsing rhythm. This synergy not only clinched the 83-minute win but highlighted a partnership forged in pressure, positioning them one spot higher at sixth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.
“Let’s not put us in any way in the same category as these two,” said the 37-year-old Puetz after lifting his second Masters 1000 crown (he also won the Paris Masters in 2021 alongside New Zealander Michael Venus). “[My first Masters 1000 title] was very special. Actually, Michael Stich sent me a text message after the first one. I didn’t know him at all, and it was very, very nice of him. He sent me a really nice message after I won in Paris.
“it’s not nicer with Kevin, but it’s definitely different winning it with a countryman… We’re actually genuinely friends, also with our teams. We go see each other, even when we don’t have tournaments. So it’s very, very nice to share that. Obviously, victories are nice, but also to share in defeats. I think all in all we’re just happy with this phase of our careers and our lives to be together in those moments.”
German engineering at its finest 🇩🇪
Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz defeat Goransson/Michelsen 6-4 6-4 to capture their maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown as an all-German team.@SH_Masters | #ShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/umnG6NsRxt— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 12, 2025
Final’s tension sparks mental resilience
The championship match unfolded with the arena’s murmurs swelling at every deuce, as Krawietz and Puetz reset after that second-set wobble, using underspin returns to neutralize Michelsen’s pace and set up inside-in passes. Their 68 percent first-serve rate held against 12 aces from the opposition, minimizing double faults to four on a surface where overhitting often unravels rallies. Puetz reflected on Stich’s encouraging message from years prior, underscoring how such gestures from legends eased the psychological load in high-stakes moments.
Krawietz, at 33, navigated the mental grind with steady volleys that echoed through the night, his post-match words capturing the relief. The victory’s tactical layers—varying pace with drop shots and lobs—exposed the foes’ struggles in net transitions, turning potential passing shots into overhead smashes. As the duo savored the trophy, the humid glow faded into celebration, their run a release from the year’s accumulated strain.
Rankings rise targets Turin return
With 850 points banked, Krawietz and Puetz widened their lead in the race for Nitto ATP Finals spots, building on last year’s Turin triumph and 12 wins in 15 fall hard-court matches. This Shanghai breakthrough dissolves the historical shadow, blending Puetz’s tactical slices with Krawietz’s aggressive approaches into a versatile blueprint for German doubles. As the season tightens, their momentum promises sharper edges on the year-end stage, where defending the crown demands the same unyielding trust that carried them here.
“We got to the semi-finals, and then after the semi-final I was of course happy to be in the final,” reflected Krawietz on the run. “Of course, you want to win the final. Here and there some tight moments, of course, so I had to figure out how to handle it.
“In the end it went the right way, so very happy, very proud. Let’s enjoy the moment now.”
