Sebastian Ofner retired in the first round of the Generali Open 2018: The Styrian defeated Martin Klizan from Slovakia in two sets 2:6 and 4:6, and Klizan will meet Dominic Thiem on Wednesday.
Klizan started the match against Ofner, who reached the semi-finals last year in Kitzbühel, with the confidence of a multiple tournament winner on the ATP tour. Klizan has won five individual titles to date, two of them in the 500 category: 2016 in Rotterdam and Hamburg.
Ofner didn’t come into play, was without a chance, especially as a setback. After only 24 minutes Klizan closed passage one with a passing shot.
The second set started almost seamlessly, but this time Ofner fought off two break chances of the Slovakian and took a 1-0 lead. In the ninth game, however, Ofner put out a volley, Klizan had no problems after that. 6:2 and 6:4.
“Sometimes, unfortunately, you catch a day when nothing works,” Ofner explained after his defeat. The Styrian will play in the coming weeks and the ATP Challenger tournaments in Pullach and Meerbusch.
Klizan continues with an Austrian opponent: On Wednesday (not before 6 p.m.) the left-handed player will face Dominic Thiem in the round of 16. He, in turn, has already celebrated a success in Kitzbühel on Wednesday: Thiem and Dennis Novak won the first round in doubles against Roberto Carballes Baena and Jaume Munar in match tiebreak.
Here the single tableau in Kitzbühel