The third edition of the ATP Challenger tournament in Mauthausen, which will be held from May 5th to 12th as an event in the 100 category, features big names. With Diego Schwartzman and Lucas Pouille Two former top 10 players in Upper Austria are doing the honors.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edited: May 4, 2024, 2:30 p.m
© Getty Images
Diego Schwartzman is one of the absolute favorites in Mauthausen.
After Dominic Thiem last year, the spectators in Mauthausen can look forward to top 10 flair this year too. Diego Schwartzman is always a force to be reckoned with, especially on clay, his favorite surface. The 31-year-old Argentine secured three of his four titles on the major ATP tour on the red ashes and achieved his best result at Grand Slam level in 2020 by reaching the semi-finals in Roland Garros. The former No. 8 in the world has slipped slightly in the rankings, but as the current No. 142 in the ATP rankings, he is right in the main draw and is ranked No. 1 behind his 23-year-old compatriot Francisco Comesana, who has made his way into the top 100 for the first time .2 of the tournament go into the race.
With Lucas Pouille, another former top 10 player is in the main draw of the Challenger tournament. The Frenchman has already won five titles on the ATP Tour in his career and qualified for the Grand Slam semi-finals at the Australian Open in 2019. He also has a quarter-final in Wimbledon and the US Open. The 30-year-old had actually almost ended his career due to mental problems, but the long-term goal of the 2024 Olympics in Roland Garros encouraged him to make a comeback.
Last year’s finalist Misolic is at the start for the third time
Returning to Mauthausen will be 22-year-old Filip Misolic from Graz, who last year had to admit defeat to the Serb Hamad Medjodovic in three sets in a final drama that lasted almost five hours, including the rain breaks, and thus won the second Austrian title after the triumph of Jurij from Matzen Rodionov narrowly missed out on the premiere edition. Thanks to a wildcard, Joel Schwärzler is also already confirmed for the main draw, the current No. 1 in the junior world rankings. The 18-year-old from Vorarlberg has played really well in the last few weeks and achieved his best result to date at Challenger level by reaching the quarter-finals in Tallahassee. Dennis Novak from Lower Austria and Lukas Neumayer from Radstadt will also be represented in the main competition, as they have since moved up due to several cancellations. From ÖTV’s perspective, Sandro Kopp, Gerald Melzer and Neil Oberleitner are currently listed in the qualification, who could perhaps even benefit from a wildcard for the main field.
ÖTV top doubles Erler/Miedler as favorites
Austrian tennis fans will also get their money’s worth in doubles. The field is led by the Austrian Davis Cup doubles Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler, who have already won five titles on the ATP Tour and have just won the title at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna after twice triumphing at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel is always a hot contender for victory on home soil.
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Schwartzman Diego
2024-05-04 11:22:00
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