ATP Challenger: Final! Jurij Rodionov also beats Yannick Hanfmann in Almaty

As qualifier until the final: Jurij Rodionov managed this trick at the ATP-Challenger in Almaty with his success against Yannick Hanfmann.

Yuri Rodionov is still missing a victory at a prize money of 7,200 US dollars and, even more importantly, 80 points for the ATP world rankings. The 19-year-old Austrian defeated the second seeded Yannick Hanfmann 6-4 and 7-5 in the semi-final of the ATP challenger in Almaty and will face the Serbian Pedja Kristin, who had no problems with Enrique Lopez Perez (ESP) in the final.

Rodionov had reached the main field of Almaty by qualifying, defeated Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the quarter-finals in a nervous thriller in the tiebreak of the third set. With reaching the final Rodionov will improve in the ATP world ranking in the region around position 330. In a tournament victory, a place in the high 20s could beckon for the first time.

Things are also going well for Dennis Novak: The Austrian Davis Cup player reached the last eight in the higher-paying ATP Challenger in Caltanissetta. Novak will face Jiri Vesely in third place. Novak will reach a career high as well, and will be at least at position 186 on the ATP charts from Monday.