Auburn alumnus Tim Puetz wins Nitto ATP Finals doubles title

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Auburn alumnus Tim Puetz wins Nitto ATP Finals doubles titleAuburn alumnus Tim Puetz wins Nitto ATP Finals doubles title
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Turin, ITALY – Former Auburn men’s tennis standout Tim Puetz won the Nitto ATP Finals doubles crown with partner Kevin Krawietz on Sunday in Turin, Italy. Puetz and Krawietz won the title with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) win over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the finals.

Only eight doubles teams received an invitation to compete in the Nitto ATP Finals, where the pairs were split into two round robin groups of four with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinal round.

Puetz and Krawietz earned back-to-back straight-set wins over Arevalo and Pavic as well as Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori to secure their spot in the semifinals. In the semifinal match against Max Pursell and Jordan Thompson, the two teams split sets to set up a winner-take-all tiebreaker. The German duo won the tight tiebreaker 11-9 to earn a spot in the finals.

The finals, a rematch of Monday’s match, was a dramatic one to decide the title. Puetz and Krawietz dominated their serve games to reach a tiebreaker that they won 7-5. The second set was also decided by a tight tiebreaker. An impressive return by Puetz just inside the sideline set the German duo up for the championship point. Arevalo and Pavic responded with a point win to even the tiebreaker again at six before Puetz and Krawietz won the next two points to claim the title.

Puetz and Krawietz became the first eight-seed to ever win the event and also became the first all-German pair to ever win the Nitto ATP Finals doubles crown.

The German pair have had a busy year, which included a semifinal appearance in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and a finalist finish at the U.S. Open. Puetz captured the mixed doubles championship at the French Open in 2023 with partner Miyu Kato to become the fourth Auburn alumnus to win a grand slam title.

At Auburn, Puetz was a two-time ITA Doubles All-American in 2009 and 2010 as well as an ITA Singles All-American in 2010. The Usingen, Germany native was also a three-time All-SEC selection during his time on the Plains. Puetz ranks third in career combined victories (182) and career doubles victories (89) in program history. He also finished his career with 93 career singles victories, which is fourth most all-time in Auburn history.

Puetz was also an NCAA doubles semifinalist in 2009 alongside partner Alexey Tsyrenov and was an NCAA singles semifinalist in 2010.