The league oldies’ tennis thriller went to UTC Steyr

The surprising point win in the 3:6 against title favorite Mauthausen should have made the players of the UTC Casa Moda Steyr really hot for the duel of the league oldies: Just two days later, the Steyrers, who had been playing in the Bundesliga for twelve years without interruption, went against the only one Year shorter, first-class Wiener Athletik Club in front of around 100 fans at home as a 5: 4 winner from the field.

“The WAC has always played in the Final 4 for years,” says Steyr’s non-playing captain Stefan Minichberger, “but now we can do it on our own with a win on Sunday in Schwaz and take this place in September.”

But before this little door opened, the outsider from Steyr had to do hard work. Simon Traxler in particular delivered a brilliant game in the Steyr dress, first kept the upper hand against Tristan Samuel Weissborn 3: 6, 6: 0, 10: 7 in the match tie break, then kept his nerves alongside David Pichler after a break deficit and in the end got the decisive point in doubles with a 7:6, 7:6 win.

“It’s great what the boys have achieved in this eternal duel,” says Minichberger, who also thanks the goddess of luck: “We won a few games really narrowly, and the best doubles player in the WAC, Max Neuchrist, was no longer allowed to play in singles after he gave up line up.”

The further points for the UTC Steyr conquered Philip Bachmaier with 6:1, 6:1 against ex-national champion Lenny Hampel, the Colombian Juan Benitez with 6:0, 3:4 on the very deep ground after the night’s rain through the surrender of Neuchrist and Benitez/Bachmaier with 7: 6, 6: 2 in doubles.