Sebastian Ofner has reached a main field on the ATP Tour for the first time this season. At the 250cc tournament in Sao Paolo, the Styrian overcame two rounds in qualifying as the top seed. Meanwhile, Lucas Miedler celebrated a sense of achievement at his first appearance in the new season.
Ofner won the final round of qualifying on Sunday against Pedro Cachin from Argentina with 4:6,6:2,6:4. On Saturday, the 21-year-old beat local hero Rafael Matos in two sets.
In front of Sao Paolo, Ofner had a season balance of 0-4. He had already failed in the first (Quali-) round at the Australian Open, the New York Open and Rio as well as at the Challenger in Rennes. In general, seven of the last eight matches before the show in the Brazilian metropolis were lost.
At his first appearance in the new season Lucas Miedler was able to win a tournament. The 21-year-old beat South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 6-3,0-6,6-6,6-2 at the $15,000 ITF tournament in Sharm El Sheikh. Miedler (ATP-No. 388) has 18 points for sure and will improve his ranking by 20 places in the world ranking.