ATP Challenger: Yuri Rodionov in strong form – Change at Challenger level successful

Jurij Rodionov has reached the quarter-finals of another Challenger tournament. The 19-year-old Austrian celebrated two consecutive victories in the tournament in the former Kazakh capital Almaty and thus continues to work his way up the ATP ranking.

First Rodionov won 3:6, 6:3, 6:2 against Carlos Boluda-Purkiss, before leaving Alen Avidzeba no chance on Wednesday 6:3, 7:5. In the round of the last eight he will now face local hero Aleksandr Nedovyesov.

Rodionov recently showed himself in an increasingly strong form and won nine of his last twelve matches at Challenger level. In Almaty, he reached his third quarter-finals in a row, having already made the same in Loughborough (Great Britain) and Shykment (Kazakhstan).

Sebastian Ofner, who was also in action in Kazakhstan this week, fared somewhat worse. In the first round he lost to the New Zealander Jose Statham 3:6, 2:6.

Jürgen Melzer also suffered a first-round defeat, but was unlucky at the Challenger in Nottingham: Right at the start he had to play Alex De Minaur, who had already won another tournament on grass in Surbiton the week before.

Gerald Melzer lost his first round match against Christian Garin from Chile 3:6, 3:6 at the clay court Challenger in Lyon.