At the ATP tournament in Brussels, the veteran progresses to the next round. Youngster Max Schönhaus fails to pull off an upset despite a strong performance.
Opening-round victory for the veteran, first-round exit for the youngster: Whilst Jan-Lennard Struff (Warstein) got off to a strong start in the Brussels indoor tournament with a 7–6 (7–3), 7–6 (7–3) victory over Marcos Giron (USA), Max Schönhaus (Soest) fought in vain for his maiden victory on the ATP Tour. The 19-year-old rising star of German tennis lost by the narrowest of margins to the experienced Dutchman Griekspoor (30), 6–7 (3–7), 7–6 (7–5), 5–7.
The world number 302 had received a wildcard into the main draw, but his opponent – currently ranked 60th in the world – ultimately prevailed thanks to his powerful serves. Schönhaus, who served solidly himself and impressed with his one-handed backhand, held his own for much of the match. In the third set, Griekspoor – who hit a total of 34 aces – fended off several break points and then drew on his experience. “Huge respect to Max for playing at this level for two and a half hours,” he said afterwards about the German, who left the arena to applause.
For Schönhaus, who has been playing Challenger tournaments regularly since the start of this season, it was his third appearance on the “big” ATP Tour. In May, he had caused a sensation in Hamburg, beating, amongst others, the top-100 player Giron in the qualifiers, before narrowly losing to Yannick Hanfmann in the main draw. In Halle in June, he was knocked out in the first round as a wildcard entrant by Learner Tien (USA).
Struff (36) will next face Belgian Alexander Blockx in the round of 16 in Brussels. The 21-year-old, who had a bye in the first round, is one of the season’s rising stars. However, Blockx has been waiting for a win since the US Open, where he retired in the quarter-finals. He lost his opening match in both Tokyo and Shanghai.