ATP Stuttgart: German-speaking major battle day on Wednesday
Four German-speaking players are in action at the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Stuttgart: Dominik Koepfer , Yannick Hanfmann , Peter Gojowczyk and Jurij Rodionov. It didn't go well for Dustin Brown and Rudi Molleker on Tuesday.
by PM
last edit:
Jun 08, 2021, 08:07 pm
The MercedesCup at the Stuttgart Weissenhof got off to a real start on Tuesday with the first main draw games! With Marin Cilic , one of the big names made his first round appearance at the ATP lawn tournament with 618,735 euros. The 32-year-old Croat with current world ranking position 47, who won the US Open in New York in 2014, defeated the 20-year-old Rudi Molleker from Berlin in a generation duel 7: 5, 6: 3. The German had come into the main field by means of a wildcard and kept up well with Cilic in the beginning. By winning the first half and an early break in the second set, however, Cilic set the course for victory. “The quick break in the second set cost me the whole match,” summed up Molleker.
Another German had already left with Dustin Brown. The 36-year-old, who was also given a wildcard, came up against the 31st world rankings. Nikoloz Basilashvili was not up to speed at the beginning and was quickly behind with 0: 5. Brown then got into the game better and kept the match open for a long time in the second set, but in the end the Georgian won 6: 3, 7: 6 (7/4). “I haven't played a lot in the last two years. In 2019 I had a back injury after the tournament here in Stuttgart. It then took me until January 2020 to get fit again, but then Corona came. I've been pain-free since last summer, but of course my back will never be the same, "said Brown.
Koepfer starts against Rodionov
Also one round further: Ugo Humbert , the French number six in the tournament, after a smooth 6: 3, 6: 1 win against the Hungarian Marton Fucsovics and the South African Lloyd Harris , who also defeated the experienced French Gilles Simon in two sets could claim with 6: 4, 7: 5. However, there was a German sense of achievement in the individual: Peter Gojowczykdefeated French Gregoire Barrere 6: 2, 6: 4 in the last qualifying round and is thus also in the main field, in which the Australian John Millman, who was seeded number eight on Wednesday waiting for him.
With Yannick Hanfmann and Dominik Koepfer , who won their first round match in doubles against the Australians Luke Saville and Jordan Thompson 6: 1, 4: 6, 10-7, two more Germans are in action on Wednesday. Hanfmann challenges the French Jeremy Chardy , who triumphed in the 2009 MercedesCup, which was then still played on clay. And Koepfer fights against the Austrian Jurij Rodionov for a place in the round of 16. Koepfer put up with the loss in the thrilling four-set fight last Saturday against Roger Federer in the third round of the French Open, now the 27-year-old left-hander is focused on the upcoming grass season. “I processed the Federer match. Now I am happy to be in Stuttgart and to be able to play another tournament in front of spectators in Germany. There are a lot of good players here, so I only look from match to match, ”said Koepfer.
Here the single tableau in Stuttgart
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