ÖTV: Sparkasse Salzburg Open 2024 presented by Reform: Neumayer and Kop continue

The big Austrian fight day at the Sparkasse Salzburg Open 2024 presented by Reform also brought light and shadows with the red-white-red glasses. With Lukas Neumayer and Sandro Kopp, two of the five ÖTV players in singles action managed to reach the round of 16 of the ATP 125 clay court competition at the 1st Salzburg TC in Volksgarten. Salzburg host and last year's finalist Neumayer (ATP 242) started the tournament in excellent form with a clear 6:3, 6:2 win over Manuel Guinard from France (ATP 235), which delighted the home crowd. Shortly before, Sandro Kopp also won his opening match: the Tyrolean wildcard holder (ATP 307) defeated German qualifier Adrian Utzbach (ATP 516) 6:7 ​​(2), 6:1, 6:1. In the round of 16, Neumayer will face sixth-seeded Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante (ATP 127), and Cope will face Frenchman Kyrian Jacquet (ATP 239), who knocked out second-seeded Japanese Taro Daniel (ATP 84). Neither will return to action until Thursday. If both win, there will be an ÖTV duel in the quarterfinals.

The working day was less positive for the local trio. At first, Filip Misulich was unable to save the impressive form of his first state championship title, which he won in Oberpollendorf on Sunday, for Salzburg. The Styrian (ATP 180) lost 4:6, 2:6 in the first round to Poland's Max Kasnikowski (ATP 193) after an initial 3:0, 4:2 lead. David Pichler fought back as best he could, but the Burgenland qualifier (ATP 581) lost to Kazakhstan's Timofey Skatov (ATP 230) in the end 6:7 (3), 1:6. Three games still lost despite the chances of winning were made clear in the second set, which was not really that clear. In the evening, Joel Schwarzler did not really do better. The ÖTV shooting star (ATP 392) had to face the former world number 47 in a left-handed duel. Marc-Andrea Haussler of Switzerland (ATP 229) bowed out 2:6, 3:6. A somewhat imperfect start played a significant role in both sets: in the first game, the wildcard from Vorarlberg missed the first and only break point at the end, then gave up his serve after leading 30-0. In the second set, in a tight match, he dropped his serve after a game ball to make it 0-2, with no break points for either side.

Kopp/Oberleitner with a successful double start

Later in the evening, at the end of the day, there was a sense of achievement in red, white and red. Cobb and Viennese Neil Oberleitner played their first doubles match – winning 6:3, 6:3 against Australian Thomas John Vancoute and “Jose” Robin Statham from New Zealand. Your next opponents are still to be determined. On Wednesday it will be the turn of the other local players. Pichler plays with Italian Giorgio Ricca against Ryan Nijboer (Netherlands) and Tirante or Schwarzler in the Vorarlberg Express with veteran Philipp Oswald against South Americans Mariano Kestelboim (Argentina) and Franco Roncadelli (Uruguay). In the afternoon there will be an ÖTV duel on the centre court: the Austrian Davis Cup team, Alexander Erler (Tyrol) and Lukas Midler (Lower Austria), who finished first in Salzburg, will be led by Nico Hipfl (Upper Austria) and his team. Swiss training partner Jerome Kim challenged him who, like Oswald/Schwarzler, had been given a wildcard.