Last year’s finalist Matthias Wolf has won a place in the semi-final of the HTT-Tour-Finals 2018 e…
Last year’s finalist Matthias Wolf suffered a severe setback in the fight for a place in the semifinals of the HTT Tour Finals 2018. The 30-year-old from SKVS Flötzersteig had to play against Masters debutant Andreas Szabados in the evening match of the fourth matchday after 1:43 hours playing time 6:4, 2:6, 2:6, and thus needs a two-set victory and shooter’s help from the first ranked Lukas Prüger in the duel with the Serbian HTT-US Open winner Vladimir Vukicevic on Thursday in order to qualify for the second time in a row and as last year for the preliminary round of the big season final at UTC La Ville. The hero of the evening was without a doubt Andreas Szabados, who won his 40th single season with a highly impressive performance in sets 2 and 3, and kept his chance for a place in the semifinals. From the HTT finals from the UTC La Ville reported for hobbytennistour.at C.L
He’s gonna have to do it again! We are talking about Matthias Wolf and his feat of qualifying for the semifinals of Austria’s most prestigious hobby tennis tournament with just one victory in the last match of the preliminary round last year. On Tuesday evening in the night session of the fourth day of the preliminary round, the 30-year-old missed the opportunity to win against Andreas Szabados, a newcomer to the Masters team, to secure a direct duel with Serbia’s superstar Vladimir Vukicevic. At the end of an unfavourable game, Wolf had not only produced 21 points less on the statistics account than his opponent, but above all 49 incomprehensible mistakes by his own standards. For a player like Wolf, whose game is based on safety and constancy from the baseline, this is the safe downfall. It was, of course, a creeping downfall of Matthias Wolf, who actually made a tailor-made start before the eyes of his parents. A break to 2:0, even with his own serve sovereign and 3:0 in the lead, Wolf was not out of concept when he conceded the re-break to 3:4. A second break to 6:4 brought Wolf in the third direct duel of the season with Szabados supposedly on the winning road.
Hardly anyone in the hall and at home at the live ticker had expected during these hours that hot spur Andreas Szabados would free himself from this unfortunate situation, and above all in a style that would bring the spectators in the hall the highest admiration. In the third duel with Wolf Szabados celebrated his first victory at the end. And this also because the 29-year-old from Lower Austria was able to deliver by far his best performance of the season just in the most important match. That was already great class, as the triple winner of the season and from the competition tiredly ridiculed ranking list seventh, the last year’s finalists and 4 times winner of the season in the sets 2 and 3 played against the wall. Szabados grabbed the breaks to 2-1 and 4-1, played in style even at his serve games, and even scored 11 points in a row in the middle of the set. To the same extent that Szabados became stronger and stronger, Wolf was dismantling more and more in an unusual way. Only 6 points for 16 mistakes, not a single break chance, and what use are 82 percent of the first serves if only 39 percent of the points at the end also look out. Wolf with miserable statistical data, while Szabados, meanwhile, even became courageous, and from then on tried his luck on the net.
In the decision of the third set, Szabados then managed the first break to 2-1, but above all the way in which he was zero as a return shot for the preliminary decision, showed that Wolf that evening no longer had the necessary substance to strike back. Also the body language of the 30 year old at the Centercourt seemed unusual and alien, while Szabados, long acting in Flow, enjoyed his performance at the Centercourt in front of his girlfriend Jasmin. With 4:6, 6:2, 6:2, the 29 year old Lower Austrian had not only brought happiness to the house of Szabados, but also an incredibly exciting constellation on the final day of group A. The Szabados victory means that all four players can now reach the semi-finals with a corresponding result. Prüger is fixed in the top 4, but not yet determined as group winner. He could even be called Szabados in the end, if he wins the last match against the first of the rankings, and Wolf should be successful against Vukicevic. The Serb, on the other hand, is not affected whether with a victory in 2 or 3 sets fixed through, and Wof needs a two set victory and Schütenhilfe by Lukas Prüger. Szabados remains himself, and he probably has the most options for himself. Not alone in his hand, though. With a victory over Prüger he could – in the case of a Vukicevic defeat – still win the group, but if Serbia’s old champion succeeds in revenge against Wolf for last year’s semifinal defeat in the “Finals”, then Szabados itself a sensational victory over the number 1 would not help.
“I don’t really give a damn about the starting position. I just want to keep playing like I just did in the second and third set. I would love to play against Lukas right now, and I want to be the first to defeat him in the Tour Finals. If it turns out that Matthias Wolf beats Vladi Vukicevic, then the group win for me a’la Roger Federer is still possible this year in London. Let’s see what else comes next. Victory against Wolf tonight is almost a minor matter for me. I am most happy about my performance today. Apart from the first three games, but then I built in as many winners and volleys as never before in my tennis life,” beamed the deserved winner at the press conference after his 40th single season success.
“Today I had no touch at all, the wrong tactics, no movement and I wasn’t physically up to speed either. Mental I have never been as weak as I am today, and yes, if you add it all up, you get such a result. Szabados also played excellently in the second and third movements and revealed no more weaknesses. He played it to the end with sovereignty and wouldn’t let me come back into the game. My performance was summarized inferior, but after three inferior sets still not everything is over. That’s the good thing about this evening,” says Wolf, who then also gave a preview of the Super Thursday in Group A. “We’re looking forward to the next day. “I need help from the number 1, but I know Lukas, who is a thoroughbred athlete, who absolutely wants the third victory, who pulls through the full throttle. I’d have my showdown with Vladi. Last year against Alex Schager it was maybe a bit easier in the last group game, because the Vladi will be top motivated against me to take revenge for the semi-final defeat last year. It’s all in there, a two-set victory for both players, and if I only win in three sets, then I blew it in the previous two matches. I’m looking forward to the duel, the pressure’s not on me. I was in the final last year already once. I played a good season, even though the form and fitness are not quite there at the peak. But as I said, “Vladi, I’m looking forward to Thursday”.