The talented German tennis player will have to wait a little longer for his first Grand Slam main draw appearance.
Justin Engel’s dream of reaching his first Grand Slam main draw has been dashed for the time being. The 18-year-old from Nuremberg lost to Britain’s George Loffhagen 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (2-7) in the first round of qualifying for the Australian Open in Melbourne. “My goal is to qualify for a Grand Slam,” Engel had said with a view to 2026. Now the world number 180 had to learn the hard way again against Loffhagen, who is ranked 29 places lower and six years older. Engel had already been eliminated in December after three defeats at the Next Gen Finals, the year-end tournament for the best young professionals.