Nava, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser after falling to Slovakian Alex Molcan in the final round of qualifying, and Shelton both often practice together in Florida but met for the first time in a professional match.
“He’s got a massive serve, similar to my first-round matchup last year, and it made things really difficult. He returned well down the stretch in the second set, broke me when it mattered, and he was clutch. So, to get through that, I’m really happy. Starting my run here in Munich, it’s a special place for me, and I’m just excited to keep going.”
Up next for the 23-year-old Atlanta native will be Belgian wild card entry Alexander Blockx, who defeated Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann 7-6(2), 6-2 in one hour and 28 minutes.
Cerundolo, Rinderknech remain untroubled
In other action, fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo eased past Indian lucky loser Sumit Nagal 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 20 minutes. The 19th-ranked Argentine will play two-time Munich finalist Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands in the second round.
Arthur Rinderknech also opened his campaign in Bavaria with a comfortable win. The seventh-seeded Frenchman beat Alex Michelsen from the United States 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 41 minutes, while Gabriel Diallo of Canada defeated Ukrainian qualifier Vitaliy Sachko 6-1, 6-2 in 76 minutes.
