ÖTV Men's 85+ takes bronze in Manavgat

The 2024 World Senior Team Championship was held in Manavgat from 10 to 15 March, the over-65 age groups. The Austrian Tennis Federation sent six teams to this World Championships – medalists among the men over 85 who won bronze.

Men 65+ (British Cup): The silver-winning team at the Umag 2021 World Cup lost 3-0 to the seeded Frenchman in the first group match with team captain Karl Bansi, Michael Maldoner, Herbert Ridderer and Ulf Hellwig. A 2-1 win over Belgium sent the team through to the top eight play-offs. But the top-seeded Australians with world champion Glenn Busby were waiting there, and Maldoner had nothing to gain in singles and doubles with Pansy. The choice about Pansy, who won at least his singles, lost 1:2. In the play-off for places five to eight, they defeated Italy 2-1 before a 3-0 defeat to Hungary meant sixth place.

Men 70+ (Jack Crawford Cup): Austria, the Florida 2022 runner-up, did not qualify for the preliminary round at all. Team captains Alexander Haupt-Buchenrode, Harald Helmunseder and Günter Richter earned their first win in the 13th-18th place play-off against South Africa after a 3-0 defeat by Canada and Portugal, with Ireland also being defeated 3-0. In the last match against Belgium, they had to finish the tournament in 14th place with a narrow 1-2 defeat.

Men over 80 (Garnar-Molloy Cup): Obviously, the team featuring top Austrian senior player and X-time world champion Peter Pokorny, team captain Johannes Muhlenberg, Klaus Kreuzobir and Gert Pokorny lost 3-0 in the preliminary round to France. Victories over Denmark (3:0) and Great Britain (2:1) took the ÖTV senior team into the play-off for places 4th to 6th. A 3-0 win over Canada there and a 0-3 win over Australia eventually meant fifth place.

Men 85+ (Lorne Mayne Cup): The senior team reached the top-three final with a 3-0 win over the top-seeded Swedes, against whom they had won their only two singles matches 10-4 in the tie-break, and against Denmark. Germany, the United States of America, and Austria competed for the gold medal in this competition, which was held in front of a large audience. Young at heart, the ÖTV men were no match for the USA and ended up losing 3-0. The second place match against the Germans was very close. Local top player Rudolf Weigerstorfer was clearly defeated by Horst Hätti 1:6, 0:6. On the other hand, Erik Ecker fought to the point of falling, but lost twice to Kurt Stief with a score of 5:7 in the tie-break. In the final doubles, Gernot Feit and Wolfgang Jeannee lost to Hätti and Werner Marx 6:3, 0:6 and 3:10 in the tie-break of the match. However, one can be rightly proud of the third place and bronze medal.

Women 65+ (Kitty Godfrey Cup): The senior team with captain Silvia Riegel, Renate Hojas, Sabine Berniger and Ingrid Bruckner got off to a great start in the preliminary round, with a 3-0 win over Ireland and Australia. Their only defeat, a 3-0 loss to Great Britain, left them in second place in the group. In the play-off for fifth to eighth places, ÖTV Women lost narrowly 2-1 to Argentina. In the seventh place match, the team achieved a final victory with a score of 2-1 over Portugal.

Women over 75 (Queen's Cup): The Austria team with captain Hydros Toth, Walborga Stefanowski, Veronika Metzger and Josephine Baumgartner did not make it in the preliminary round, and Metzger's injury in the first match was also unfortunate. The team lost 3-0 to Australia and 2-1 to the Netherlands. But in the playoff for places from ninth to twelfth, they finally achieved their first victory by defeating Canada 3-0, and finally beating South Africa 2-1 to rise to ninth place.

Thank you at this point to everyone who made the trip to Turkey for the Austrian Tennis Federation and did their best for Austrian tennis. Thank you and congratulations on your achievements!

Eddie Glassner
ÖTV Chief Speaker