While the big names and the hot title aspirants of yesterday’s second…
While the big names and the hot title aspirants qualified effortlessly for the second round of the HTT-French Open 2018 yesterday, the field of 16 qualifiers is already clearing after the opening round. After the number 11 of the second HTT Season Grand Slam Tournament, Franz Mayrhuber, said an early farewell on opening day, Bernd Brunner (No. 12), Manuel Wachta (No. 16) and Mathias Wagner (No. 7) had to complain about their unexpected early retirement on Friday afternoon. And also the number 4 of the 27th tennislife.at May Grand Slam tournament is since Friday afternoon only in the role of the spectator, and that without having hit a single ball. C.L reports from the UTC La Ville
A feverish cold brought the title ambitions of HTT-Australian Open winner Markus Neuhauser to an abrupt end. The 24-year-old sixth in the ranking had to cancel his start at the second HTT season major at UTC La Ville on Friday afternoon with a heavy heart, and had himself apologized by SMS for his health-related absence. This means that the “Grand Slam”, i.e. winning all four HTT Grand Slam tournaments within one season by one and the same player, won nothing in 2018. Whether Neuhauser would actually have been able to win the 42nd seasonal tournament, endowed with 2000 points, will thus remain an unsolved mystery. However, insiders and experts of the HTT have only one name in the absolute favorite role for the title win anyway. And this is last year’s winner Lukas Prüger, who yesterday made the first of a total of six necessary steps to a successful HTT French Open title defence.
The 20-year-old first of the Schwechater TC rankings got to grips with the number 246 of the current HTT computer rankings Daniel Pfeifer as a prelude and, as expected, will start brilliantly in the title defence mission. At the “small centre court” of the UTC La Ville he had nothing left for his opponent at the beginning and missed a zero in the first set. But the Prüger this year could not be untouchable, and he himself lowered expectations for the second HTT French Open title in a row, you could see in round no. 2, when Prüger lacked some insight when the floodlight had been on for a long time, and the big tournament favourite even had a set point to fend off against the underdog. In the end it was enough with 6:0, 7:5 but as expected to the 19th sand court single victory en suite, with which the 20-year-old now together with Markus Seitner and Alexander Geisler holds the third longest sand court victory series in HTT history.
Back to the early failed HTT aces of the seeded list, of which Mathias Wagner’s retirement attracted particular attention. The 27-year-old new member of Team Donaufeld, seeded 7th at the HTT French Open 2018, had to admit defeat in three sets with 2:6, 6:3, 3:6 against experienced army TC player Michael Maurer. It was a defeat with background noises, because Wagner felt disadvantaged by his opponent after his first opening out at the fifth HTT French Open. “I don’t want to say anything more about it now, otherwise I’ll say things I regret later,” Wagner stormed off the court immediately after the game. Bernd Brunner’s second HTT French Open start also ended after three sets. After the 9-time title winner from TC Angern fought his way into the round of 16 at his premiere in 2016, there was nothing to win against Styrian young star Timo Jakum this time. The 15 year old from TC Gleisdorf won 6:3, 2:6, 6:1, and may now in his HTT Grand Slam debut in round 2 against the HTT First Bank Open 500 Champion of 2014 Dominik Negrin.
The 32-year-old led the squad of Heeres TC stars on Friday afternoon and set the HTC aces four times victorious on the centre court at UTC La Ville. Negrin duped Peter Ofner in round 1 with 6:1, 5:0, ret. and quickly made room for his team mate Bernd Steiner at the centre court, who won his HTT comeback and his first appearance since January 2017 after initial problems against Thomas Janzso 6:3, 6:3. Altogether only 3 games left Christoph Niedhart on the way to the second main round. 34-year-old former La Ville star Robin Reich was overwhelmed by Mayrhuber conqueror Wolfgang Tritthart on Saturday afternoon. And finally, in his “unequal first-round duel” with Alexander Schager, underdog Mario Lippert was sensationally leading 3-0, before Styrian tennis export No. 1 started off to round 2 with 12 games in a row.