“I’m thrilled, it looks great.” John Millman (Aus), number 79 in the world and one of the title aspirants at the Danube Upper Austria Open, which starts on Sunday with the qualification (free entry), got a picture of the pretty facility in Mauthausen, which offers space for around 550 visitors, in bright sunshine yesterday made. The team around tournament director Florian Leitgeb, the son of tennis zampano Ronnie Leitgeb, who died prematurely, will be serving an ATP 100 Challenger Series event worth a total of 101,798 euros until May 8th, which should have its place in the calendar in the long term.
“We’re doing this to challenge and encourage our Austrian men,” stressed Leitgeb, who doesn’t want to look at the cards yet when the wild cards are awarded – the final decision is made by ÖTV sports director Jürgen Melzer. Sebastian Ofner, who won a challenger in Prague six days ago, Lucas Miedler and Alexander Erler (Union Stein & Co Mauthausen) have legitimate hopes. Dennis Novak (No. 149) and Jurij Rodionov (No. 159) made it into the main field of the event, which was budgeted at just under 500,000 euros, thanks to their rankings.
“We’re proud to be the hosts,” emphasized Mauthausen’s club chairman and head of sport, Andreas Pilsl. A tournament of this magnitude not only requires money, but also many volunteers and a lot of logistical effort. 70 ball children, 5000 bottles of water, 3500 meters of cable, 3000 balls (Head Tour XT brand) and 300 towels are – if you will – on the to-do list. The 13 VIP boxes on the first floor overlooking Center Court are sold out. “We have a little Monte Carlo feeling,” says Leitgeb.
Source: Nachrichten
