The 36-year-old German veteran relied on a dominant serving performance to dismiss the 41st-ranked Belgian in one hour and 38 minutes without surrendering a single service game.

With the win in the Belgian capital, Struff is projected to climb back inside the top 50 of the ATP rankings when the updated list is published on Monday.

Struff Survives Wild Second-Set Tiebreak Against Bergs

After claiming the opening set courtesy of a crucial break of serve for a 5:3 advantage, Struff encountered turbulent resistance in the second frame. He successfully warded off a set point before dominating the early stages of the tiebreak, jumping out to a 3:0 lead. The momentum swung rapidly as Bergs fought back, forcing Struff to erase further deficits before the German squandered two match points at 6:4. Struff finally converted his third match opportunity to seal the win.

The triumph keeps alive Struff’s pursuit of his second career ATP singles title. His sole previous tournament victory came in April 2024 on home soil in Munich, where he defeated American Taylor Fritz in the final.

Arthur Fils Awaits in the Semifinals Following a Hard-Fought Victory

Standing between Struff and a spot in Sunday’s championship match is top-seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils. Fils advanced to the semifinals by overcoming American Alex Michelsen 6:4, 7:6 (12) in a tightly contested quarterfinal that required a marathon 14-12 tiebreak in the second set. Fils enters the weekend pursuing his first career qualification for the prestigious year-ending ATP Finals in Turin.

In the opposite half of the Brussels singles draw, Tallon Griekspoor pulled off an upset by eliminating second-seeded Jiri Lehecka 4:6, 6:4, 6:3. Griekspoor advances to face Francisco Cerundolo, who swept past Clement Chidekh in straight sets. The tournament also featured an earlier first-round appearance by 19-year-old German wildcard recipient Max Schönhaus, who fell in a three-set thriller to Griekspoor despite pushing the Dutchman to two tiebreaks.