Out for Melzer, Schwarzler, Missolic

In front of a sell-out crowd on Friday, Gerald Melzer, Joel Schwarzler and Philipp Misiewicz missed out on advancing to the semi-finals of the Upper Danube Austrian Open powered by SKE in Mauthausen (May 5-12). While Melzer (ATP 497) showed an impressive comeback in the first set despite a 6:7 (6), 3:6 defeat to sixth-placed Slovakian Jozef Kovalik (ATP 160), the Bulgarian was the local hero Schwarzler (ATP 743). Dimitar Kuzmanov (ATP 260) was very big at 2:6, 3:6 on this day. Then, in the last quarter-final, Misulic (ATP 201) had to narrowly admit defeat to Argentine top seed Francisco Comisana (ATP 91) 5:7, 4:6.

Melzer loses in a crazy match

There is nothing that does not exist in tennis. The quarter-final match between Melzer and Kovalik was the best evidence of this. The Slovakian was already leading 4:0 in the first set and 40:15 on serve. Melzer initially had no task before the 33-year-old went into a frenzy, going from 1:2 down with a short game to 5:2 in the tiebreak and winning the set point – but the edge of the net prevented a happy ending. After a bitter double fault, Kovalik won the first round. Melzer quickly recovered from the setback and quickly took a 2-0 lead with a break of serve in the second set. But then the string snapped, and Kovalik played the match at home and booked his place in the semi-finals.

“I started really well and had a good flow. Then Gerald got into the match better and played hard. I didn't know what to do anymore. I had my back really against the wall in the first set tiebreak, but then I scored the important points. And it was That's the difference today. It was a great match. The viewers certainly got their money's worth. “I'm very happy that I survived this round,” Melzer added. “It was the tough match I expected. At first he didn't give me anything, and soon I was 0:4 behind. I felt good myself, so I was surprised. I didn't have the chance and I was happy when I wrote on the scoreboard. Then I was in the match, the curve was pointing sharply upwards and I was about to win the first set. It was really hurtful that that wasn't the case, it was a real mess. The second set started out well, but then I completely lost track. “It's unfortunate because I would have liked to stay on the field longer and stay in the tournament,” the Lower Austrian said.

Schwarzler 'very disappointed'

Nearly 600 visitors also admired local hero Schwarzler, who plays in the win2day Bundesliga for host club Union Stein&Co Mauthausen, on Center Court, and expressed their hope that the successful run of first place in the ITF Youth World Rankings would continue. But Kuzmanov, who knocked two-time national champion Lukas Neumayer out of the tournament on Thursday, pursued other plans and showed he was strong again. In the end, the Bulgarian has made things clear and Kovalik will now face Kaher Melzer in the semi-finals. “It was an intense match. The result seems very clear, but it was not that easy. I feel very comfortable at the moment and I can execute my game plan well. The tournament is good for me, and the setup here is simply perfect. My next opponent (Kovalik; note) I've known him for many years. This year we actually played a four-hour game. “I'm looking forward to it,” the 30-year-old said.

After two victories, including a tennis festival on Ascension Day, Schwarzler was unable to match his performance of the previous day in his second ATP Challenger Tour quarterfinal match against Kuzmanov. “I'm very disappointed because I was expecting more. Dimitar played his game from start to finish. He had a lot of trajectory in his shots, which I couldn't deal with today and I made a lot of mistakes. His performance was great, also because I couldn't “Putting any pressure on him, I tried everything, but it didn't work today, but I survived two rounds and played a really good match yesterday, so I'm satisfied, even if the end was not positive.” A training block will be added next week before he goes to the next ATP Challenger tournament in Skopje.

Misoic: “I left everything I had on the field”

In addition to the huge crowd, Friday in Mauthausen had a very nice weather and perfect conditions. Everything was arranged on the Austrian day. But after Schwarzler and Melzer, Mizolic, who had local hopes pinned after the defeat of Schwarzler and Melzer, missed out on a place in the semi-finals. Styria gave Comisana's first tournament a valiant fight – but without a happy ending. Misulic, who had impressed in the first two games, found his way into the game well this time too and took the lead quickly on the break. However, Komisana once again showed his best and gave a complete performance. In crucial situations, the South American player maintained his calm and executed some magical strikes. In the end, the 23-year-old, who was able to take an important step towards his sixth ATP Challenger Tour title, celebrated a 7:5 and 6:4 victory.

“It was a great match. I played really well and fought my way through. Just at the end I was nervous and I was going to get it (Misolic; note) Almost left in the game. I'm really glad that wasn't the case and that I won. Playing in front of this background is just fun. It's a great honor to now be against Lucas (boy; note) he can play. “I will enjoy it and give everything I have again,” said Komisana, who is looking forward to the showdown with the former No. 10 and current world No. 229 from France (6:2, 6:3 winner against German Max from the qualifier). Hans Rehberg, ATP 479) Happy. “The game was very intense and tight,” Misolek said. “I had a lot of chances, but unfortunately I wasn't able to convert a lot of them today. It could have turned out differently for sure. I left everything I had on the field. Unfortunately that wasn't enough today, even though the match “It was all up to par, my serve was letting me down a bit at the moment, and I didn't get any easy points,” he concludes, “Now I will constantly work on it.”

Schwärzler/Oberleitner stopped in doubles

For Schwarzler and Neil Oberleitner, it was also the end of the day in the double semi-final against Konstantin Frantzen and Hendrik Gibbins. While the two beat leading Austrian doubles team and top seeds Alexander Erler and Lukas Midler in the first round, the pair lost 4:6 and 3:6 on Friday afternoon to the second-seeded Germans.

“The attendance was really good today in the doubles event. The atmosphere was great, and then the semi-final at home, which doesn't happen every day. Unfortunately, we made mistakes in tough situations. You're not going to get many chances against those two. The ones that were We have, we gave it lightly. We have to do better. “In the end they deserved to win,” Oberleitner said. “Joel is a great partner. I really enjoy playing with him and I think we work very well together. The good thing about tennis is that there is always next week when we will try again.

Table tennis visits the two-time European champion

There were also big visitors on the quarter-final day: immediately after returning from the WTT Grand Smash tournament in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), double European table tennis champion Sofia Polkanova did not miss the opportunity to welcome the title. ÖTV Aces in Mauthausen. At the same time, Austria's top table tennis player, together with OÖTTV President Hans Friedinger, promoted the European Home Championships for yellow felt fans, which will be held from October 15 to 20 at the TipsArena in Linz.

The Danube Upper Austria Open is powered by SKE in live streaming

On Saturday 11 May, there will once again be a large-scale live broadcast on ÖTV at the Danube Upper Austria Open powered by SKE. www.oetv.tv. In the doubles final at 11:30 a.m., Americans Ryan Seagerman and Patrick Track will compete with Frantzen/Gibbins for the title. From two in the afternoon, Komisana Boye and Kuzmanov will face Kovalik. The two semi-final matches will also be broadcast on ORF SPORT+.