On May 1st, 2022, the challenger tournament of the DANUBIS Upper Austria Open celebrates its birth with the start of the qualification for the main competition. With six Austrians. On the center court, the first duel between the Spaniard Nikolas Sanchez-Izquierdo and Maximilian Neuchrist, who plays for the WAC in the Bundesliga. The Viennese got off to a dream start, taking a 3-0 lead in sets. But Sanchez saves himself in the tiebreak. Wins narrowly. The Austrian struggles with his fate and clearly goes down 1: 6 in set 2. On Court 2, Mats Rosenkranz has a great match with clay court digger Lopez San Martin. The German eventually wins 6-4, 6-2.
The Lebanese Benjamin Hassan struggles on Court 1 over three sentences. He finally prevailed once morest the young, agile Spaniard Sanchez Jover in three sets with 5:7, 6:2, 6:3. It’s getting loud once more on Center Court. Neil Oberleitner from Vösendorf challenges the Russian Aleksander Shevchenko, who was number 1 in the qualification. Oberleitner convinces with variable play. In the second set, the Austrian concedes the re-break to make it 4:3. Shevchenko’s punches are now harder and more accurate. The Russian can also rely on the serve. That brings the victory with 6: 4, 6: 4.
Lucas Miedler, who came to the tournament with the doubles final victory in the Czech Republic, also took the victory with him in the first game. In the game once morest the German giant Johannes Haerteis, the man from Tullner showed himself to be in top form and stormed into the qualifying final with a score of 7:6, 6:2.
Alexander Erler (DSG U. Stein&CO Mauthausen/Bundesliga) was caught cold. Winning a set 6:4 did not bring the desired self-confidence. The Slovak Klein plays big as the match progresses. His solid tennis hands out the maximum penalty and only has three games left for the Austrian. But an Austria victory follows in the evening hours. 21-year-old Sandro Kopp loses the tie-break of the first set once morest Dragos Nicolae Madaras. The Swede with the name, who doesn’t sound Swedish at all and also looks very special in terms of fashion, has to admit defeat in a gripping match once morest a great Kopp with 7:6, 1:6, 2:6.
