Just in time for his favourite tournament, the Generali Open Kitzbühel (July 28 to August 4), the 22-year-old Styrian Sebastian Ofner presents himself in a strongly ascending form and rewards himself not only with the first Challenger title of his career but also with a wildcard for the Kitzbühel main field.
After the first Wildcard of the Generali Open Kitzbühel with Dennis Novak had been fixed for quite some time, the awarding of the second ticket remained exciting until the end. A handful of Austrians recommended themselves with a rising form curve.
“We didn’t make the decision easy for ourselves,” said tournament director Alexander Antonitsch. The Kitzbühel organisation team ultimately chose Sebastian Ofner, who won his first title at the Challenger level yesterday against German Daniel Brands and thus directly won the ticket to the main field of his favourite tournament. “Sebastian’s enthusiasm that he was able to arouse in our audience last year also speaks for him,” says Antonitsch.
Kitzbühel is a special place for Ofner. After he was also equipped with an organizer’s wild card in 2017, the Styrian enchanted the audience with his sensational semi-final entry to the ATP World Tour 250 tournament – a tennis fairy tale that caused the “Ofi fever” to break out in Gamsburg.
“In Kitzbühel I celebrated one of my greatest successes, I am looking forward to my return,” says Ofner. The wildcard of the licensor Octagon for the Kitzbühel main field goes to 19-year-old Frenchman Corentin Moutet, Dominic Thiem’s first-round opponent in Hamburg.
The only wild card awarded by the organisers for the Kitzbühel qualification will go to 19-year-old Jurij Rodionov from Lower Austria, who also won his first title at Challenger level in Almaty in June and was last in the semifinals at Astana. The second qualifying wildcard is claimed by licensor Octagon. This goes to the Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, the semi-finalists of Roland Garros’ junior tournament.
Jürgen Melzer, who is serving in the doubles at Dominic Thiem’s side in Hamburg today, can also be seen in Kitzbühel. At the side of his congenial partner Philipp Petzschner Jürgen Melzer is equipped with a wildcard for the double main field of the Generali Open Kitzbühel.