After a hard fight that lasted almost three hours, the Styrian had to admit defeat to the Argentinian Federico Coria with 5:7.6:4.5:7. After the round of 16 exit in Cordoba, the first hurdle in the tournament once once more became a stumbling block.
Ofner started the game brilliantly and immediately got a break. As was the case following the 3-2 win, the ÖTV player immediately conceded the rebreak. At 5:6 he was able to fend off a set point, but subsequently got himself into trouble with a double fault and a missed smash. After another slight backhand error, the first set on Court Guillermo Vilas was lost following 1:09 hours.
In the second round, Ofner took his opponent’s serve twice (3:2 and 4:3), once more than the local hero managed. After fending off break chances, the 27-year-old used his second set point following 47 minutes in a marathon game. In the third set, the Argentinian, who had already had bandages on his right thigh, had himself treated once more, but he still had a longer breath. That’s also because Ofner’s nerves were fluttering following the break to make it 5:4. Coria finished the game with three successful games in a row, using his second match point as Ofner’s forehand landed in the net.
As was the case recently with the 0:6,3:6 in Cordoba once morest the eventual winner Luciano Darderi, there was a setback for the ÖTV number one. The 31-year-old Coria, who is 65 places behind Ofner in the ranking, retained the upper hand in a direct duel, as he did in 2015. “I was very tired and it was also very difficult for me to play because I was very nervous. That’s why I’m incredibly happy that I was able to win a very tough match,” said Coria in the winner’s interview on the pitch. The fans would have helped him a lot.
Ofner failed in the third tournament in a row – at the Australian Open he was defeated by Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round of a five-set thriller – once morest his first opponent. He gets his next chance to do better in Rio de Janeiro before heading north to Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami.
