"Not expected so hard" - Oscar Otte in the Ostrava final without a chance
Aslan Karatsev's successful run on the ATP Challenger Tour has continued. Oscar Otte couldn't stop the Russian in the final of the Ostrava Open by Moneta either. Karatsev, who has already made it into the final at the tournaments in Prague in the past two weeks and won the title last Sunday, gave the German no chance. 6: 4, 6: 2 was the result in the end.
by Florian Heer from Ostrava
last edit: Sep 06, 2020, 05:07 pm
After bright sunshine on Saturday, the rain returned to the northeast of the Czech Republic on the night of the final. The clay court tournament, endowed with 132,280 euros, had to suffer a classic “wash-out” on Tuesday. After an hour's delay, the last two remaining protagonists of the event were able to enter the still damp court.
Karatsev confirms strong form
Karatsev, who moved into the final without losing a set, was the dominant player on the field from the start. His basic strokes had a good length and Otte had to put a lot more effort into the points he won. If things didn't go quite smoothly for the 27-year-old Muscovite, the network also helped. Overall, however, Karatsev's victory was never really in danger and Otte also acknowledged one or the other successful winner of his opponent with an appreciative smile.
"I knew it would be a tough match, but I didn't expect it to be that tough," admitted Otte after 1 hour and 18 minutes of play and presented himself as a fair loser. “He played very well and I had few free points. I tried to vary my game, which didn't work very well as he could put a lot of balls just in front of the line. It was difficult to come up with a concept against him. He is the deserved winner. "
Otte with a view of France
In his sixth Challenger final, Otte was looking for his second title win. With 10,770 euros in prize money and 75 ATP world ranking points, after two tournaments in Prague and seven days in Ostrava, the journey now goes to southern France. “To see another country again after three weeks is nice. My coach now drives me to the airport, where I stay one night and then I take a plane to Marseille, ”Otte describes the next few hours after the final in the Moravian-Silesian region. At the Open du Pays d'Aix, the 27-year-old from Cologne will go hunting for points again. “By reaching the finals here, I got an SE for the tournament. That is nice and I will attack again fully. Then it goes home and in preparation for the qualification of the French Open. "
Karatsev with a new career high
The newly crowned champion of the Ostrava Open also has Roland Garros firmly in his sights after his 16th victory in the last 17 matches. The prize for “King-Karatsev” is 18,290 euros in prize money and 125 ATP ranking points. For the first time in his career he will be in the top 115 of the world rankings.
Karatsev saw the key to success against Otte in the return. “Oscar has a strong serve that is played with a lot of slice. I had to get used to it ”, said the man who, since the restart of the tour, only had to admit defeat to three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the final of the Prague Open.
When asked about the secret of his success, the Russian replied soberly: “Of course, I didn't expect such a run. I did a few show fights during hiatus in the United States and worked on my fitness and exercised well. Maybe I was able to do better preparation than the competition? Now I definitely only look from match to match. "
This will probably continue to take place on Czech soil. Karatsev has registered for the Czech Open in Prostejov next week. His opponent in the first round would be a German player with Yannick Maden.