Shooting star Maximilian Wild will be in the deciding match of the last preliminary round early Wednesday evening…
Shooting star Maximilian Wild won the final match of Group B on early Wednesday evening after a tie-break thriller against veteran Martin Mayer, and made it into the semi-finals of the 2018 HTT Tour Finals at UTC La Ville at his premiere. The number 2 seeded young star fought down the 2014 HTT Olympic Champion Martin Mayer in a breathtaking style with 7:6, 7:6 in an epic battle and celebrated with his 49th single season victory a comeback in the circle of the best HTT players, which was not expected after his last performances. But the second winner of an epochal match was Martin Mayer, who performed a strong first Masters in spite of the preliminary round out, and who played an essential part in a tennis evening that will remain in unforgettable memories for a long time to come. From UTC La Ville reports from the HTT-Tour-Finals for hobbytennistour.at C.L
After more than two hours of play, the new HTT Tour Finals scoreboard at the UTC La Ville centre court showed numbers and numbers that even lay tennis players could see that a highly unusual encounter was taking place here at the centre court. 7:6, 6:6, 9:9, there was high tension in the hall, there was a boiling on the court and among the spectators, when Wild and Mayer in an epic battle of the generations delivered a playful infight at the highest level. Mayer had a 6-5 break lead in the second set, the 36 year-old also had two set points in the second tie-break of this extraordinary game, before Maxi Wild freed his mummy in the spectator area, his friends in the field and at home at the live ticker from an extreme nervous tension, and transformed his third match point after 2-10 hours and 205 rallies played.
This incredible finish of an epic deciding game on the final day of Group B had been preceded by a game that slowly got underway due to its decisive character and importance. Both players were nervous about the explosive nature of the match, as was the passion and commitment that both players put into the game from the first rally. Mayer weakened in the initial phase with his forehand, Wild on serve, break and re-break were the logical consequence. The first smaller advantage in this first run was enjoyed by Wild, who confirmed a second break with a service to 3:1, but shortly thereafter had given up this advantage again. At 4:4, Wild takes a fiercely contested game with break balls as a return shot to 5:4, before he missed a set ball on his own serve, and the match took off for the first time and developed epic characteristics. Mayer, defending his opponent’s set point with his last bet, cleared a banner standing at the end of the court, flew out of the court, cleaned himself up, and from then on played in the finish of this first set the second leading role beside Wild, which is necessary to offer the audience such an extraordinary match.
The first set, which was decided in favour of Wild in the tie-break, had lasted 63 minutes, when Wild and Mayer duelled for 10 minutes or 16 points in the opening game of the second set, before Wild had presented the match 1-0. Then it went head to head into the final phase, which could hardly be surpassed in tension and drama, in which Mayer, as already mentioned at the beginning, managed the break to 6:5, but the experienced player could not leave it to equalize the sets. This led to the second tie-break and a legendary decision that will be discussed at the HTT for years to come. The fact that two players throw everything into one decisive game with body and soul is not the only point. But the fact that in these tingling moments of tension, combined with passion, they can also play their best tennis makes an average world match into those heroic moments that can only be seen at the big events and by the big players. Set points back, match points forward, in the end Wild had the better and much acclaimed end for himself after 2:10 hours, and the semi-final qualals in his pocket.
By the way, Wild had fixed his 49th individual victory in this season and thus set up a brand that for decades was considered unrivalled at the HTT. Tournament director Claus Lippert once set a record for eternity in 1999 with 49 victories, in 2018 this figure is still the third best of all times after Damian Roman (61 victories – 2016) and Lukas Prüger (50 victories – 2018). “I found the game extremely horny except for the beginning. I would like to thank Martin for a great match. We both fought, we both had a lot of fun, and I’m glad I won this game in the end,” said the 18-year-old. “It was always close and I trembled at this success. It could have turned out differently. One stupid mistake and the game would have gone the other way. It was pure adrenalin today on the center court, you don’t experience that in every match”, the young star was overwhelmed. “I feel much better on court now than I did a week ago or at the beginning of the tournament. Of course, the game with Mayer helped me as well. I have my touch and my feeling again, and I am very happy about that. Having reached the semifinals at this great tournament makes me very happy,” beamed the 18-year-old.
“It was a good game, but I’m not quite satisfied with my forehand. I can usually do more there. Especially at the beginning I made a lot of mistakes on the forehand, and that’s why I wasn’t so aggressive afterwards. Respect for the maxi. He’s only 18 years old, and when I think back when I was 18 years old, I wouldn’t have played a game like he does today,” said the underdog, who then addressed the super hot final phase: “I can’t remember the game at 6:5, it was an eternal up and down. In the tie-break I risked a return in a set point, you just have to use the chances you find, otherwise you won’t win such a close match”, Mayer emphasized, who then took a stand on his performance as a whole: “It’s a pity. I was once in the third set and close today, but I can’t be unhappy with what I have achieved here. Of course, I would have liked to have played the semifinals on Friday, but it’s the way it is. I’m glad I was there. The HTT Tour Finals are a super event, and to have been there alone is a super achievement for me. As an older player, it’s not easy to keep up with the many young aces. You have to invest a lot of time, and you don’t regenerate as quickly between matches as a young player does. I’m glad I made it to the finals this year, and I don’t know if I’ll make it again,” said the 2014 HTT Olympic Champion.