ATP Challenger Mauthausne: The conclusion of the tournament week
The Serbian teenager Hamad Medjedovic won his third title on the ATP Challenger Tour last week at the Danube Upper Austria Open powered by SKE in Mauthausen. The 19-year-old up-and-coming star, who was already successful at the tournament in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, defied the difficult external conditions and prevented a possible dream final.
by Florian Heer
last edit:
May 15, 2023, 12:58 pm
When Medjedovic knocked out the number 1 seeded Dominic Thiem with a 7: 6 (3), 6: 2 in front of a sold-out stadium on Saturday afternoon, it was clear that there would be no purely Austrian final at the Danubis facility in Mauthausen . Previously, Filip Misolic made it clear that he would make it into the final by beating his compatriot Sebastian Ofner in two sets.
"It was a bad performance today, that says it all," Thiem said after his defeat. “I never really got into the game and never felt like I was in control of rallies. The result is surprising, but I didn't manage to pull myself out of it. The longer the match lasted, the worse the feeling got. He served great today and played powerfully, just didn't give me any rhythm - it was different in the other games. But I wouldn't read too much into it now, days like this are part of it. If I perform differently again next week, then that will be fine. I see my performance in training, I'm on the right track there."
Medjedovic triumphs on marathon Sunday
While Thiem was already making the journey to Bordeaux for this week's BNP Paribas Primrose ATP Challenger 175, Medjedovic continued his successful run in Upper Austria. World number 214 defeated Misolic after two and a half hours of play 6:2, 6:7(5), 6:4. Overall, however, the highlight of the week lasted almost six hours due to repeated rain. After the first game, the game had to be interrupted for a long time. The same happened in the last set when Medjedovic served to win the tournament.
"I can't even describe the feeling, it's just unbelievable," said Medjedovic, overjoyed. The reward was 16,020 euros in prize money and valuable 100 ATP world ranking points. "The win against Dominic yesterday was a big highlight, but today's tournament success means everything to me. It's been a long road with the two rain stops. When the score was 5-2, I didn't know how to finish it successfully. The conditions weren't easy for me, it was slippery and the rain got to me. Filip fought back and made life difficult for me with five break points - but I was able to rely on my serve and forehand. I'm over the moon that it worked out."
Misolic misses third Challenger win
Misolic, seeded number 5 in the EUR 118,000 clay court tournament, could also have celebrated his third triumph at Challenger level.
"Today everything was there. It was really difficult for us players,” explained the 21-year-old afterwards. “The conditions and the long waits didn't make it easy for us. I was under pressure throughout the match and barely found a recipe. The fact that I came back like that after the match point was saved at 2:5 makes me really proud. It's bitter that I couldn't take advantage of my break chances in the last game. But it was a great tournament for me, so I can take a lot with me. The organization was great, the spectators incredible and the feeling unique again.” Misolic will now take a short break and then focus on the upcoming qualification for the French Open in Paris.
Enormous fan interest and positive tournament balance
Despite the adverse circumstances, the organizers drew a positive summary of the week and probably also played a major role in the final being able to end on Sunday. Covering the court with provisional tarpaulins during the rain breaks with the active support of the helpers proved to be a clever move and is rarely seen at this level of international clay court tournaments.
"Despite the moderate weather during the tournament week, we offered a great backdrop," said tournament director Florian Leitgeb. A total of around 4,800 spectators attended the event in the market town of Mauthausen, which itself only has around 5,000 inhabitants.
"Through the deal with Dominic, we have created an experience for the fans that is rather unusual in Austria at this level. You have to thank the fans. Since Tuesday we have had a full house and an incredible atmosphere every day. When it was raining, people sat in the stands all day, but didn't let their mood spoil - these are the real tennis fans in Austria. They wanted to see, experience and feel top tennis. We made that possible for them again this year at a very high level.”
After the second edition of the Danube Upper Austria Open powered by SKE, the focus will soon be on the year 2024. The event should remain a fixed part of the ATP Challenger tournament calendar in Mauthausen and establish itself in Upper Austria in the long term. “The tournament week was once again a complete success and underlined our intention. We had four Austrians in the quarter-finals, three in the semi-finals and a worthy winner in Hamad,” explained Leitgeb.
"You saw that a lot of cool international guys are coming and will soon be on the ATP tour. With these tournaments we want to help our players to play in their own country and in front of their own fans. Every day was sold out, so you can say it was like a little Davis Cup for the players.”