Erste Bank Open: Misolic and Rodionov get main draw wildcards
On Thursday, tournament director Herwig Straka awarded two wildcards for the main competition of the Erste Bank Open from October 22 to 30, 2022 to local heroes Jurij Rodionov and Filip Misolic .
by p.m
last edit: Oct 20, 2022, 01:02 pm
According to the current status, there are three Austrians with Dominic Thiem2,489,935 euros in tennis highlights in the Wiener Stadthalle and at the start of the Erste Bank Open 2 Go on the grounds of the Wiener Eislauf-Verein at Heumarkt. A wildcard for the doubles went to Philipp Oswald from Vorarlberg and Robin Haase from the Netherlands. One "free ticket" each for singles and doubles are still open.
The 23-year-old Rodionov (ATP rank 128) won the Challenger tournaments in Biel (SUI) and Mauthausen (AUT) this year and last week reached the semi-finals at this level in Saint Tropez (FRA). Two years ago, the left-hander made headlines in the Wiener Stadthalle when he defeated Denis Shapovalov, who was twelfth in the world rankings at the time, in the opening round. "I'm happy about the wildcard and the associated chance to be able to show myself in Vienna. It's always a great honor for me to play in front of a home crowd. The field at the Erste Bank Open is traditionally top-ranked, I start with good memories and will do everything to sell myself as best as possible," said Rodionov.
Misolic with Rublev, Dimitrov and Fritz already in action on Friday
Filip Misolic will celebrate his premiere at the Erste Bank Open next week. The 21-year-old caused a sensation when he reached the final in Kitzbühel at the end of July this year. Misolic also clinched his first Challenger title this season when he stormed out of qualifying to win the tournament in Zagreb. Starting 2022 as number 354, the Styrian has now improved to position 144 in the ATP ranking. "I'm really happy that I can play in front of my home fans again. That is always an additional motivation for me. The fact that I got this wildcard means an incredible amount to me," said Misolic.
“Yuri Rodionov's form curve is pointing upwards. We wish him that he can build on his last performances in the Wiener Stadthalle. Filip Misolic impressively demonstrated his talent in his march through to the final in Kitzbühel and played a great tournament there with the spectators behind him. The home advantage could also become a factor in the Wiener Stadthalle,” explained tournament director Herwig Straka.
Filip Misolic is already in action at Red Bull BassLine in the tennis tent at the WEV area on Friday, where he will play alongside the two top ten stars Andrey Rublev and Taylor in a spectacular tie-break tournament to kick off the Erste Bank Open from 6 p.m Fritz (USA) and eight-time ATP tournament winner Grigor Dimitrov (BUL). The draw for the main competition will also take place at the Heumarkt on Saturday, starting at 10.15 a.m. with free entry. Tennis fans attending the draw will also have the opportunity to watch the qualifiers there for free that day.