Schwärzler in Canada

ÖTV ace with first win after three opening defeats

Joel Schwärzler got off to a strong start.

(Bild: GEPA)

After ÖTV youngster Joel Schwärzler had lost three times in a row in the opening round, the Vorarlberg native was finally able to celebrate again last night at the 75 Challenger in Drummondville in the Canadian province of Quebec.  

After 1:23 hours, Harder, who is one year older than the 17-year-old local hero Nicolas Arseneault, won 6:2 and 6:4 to advance to the round of 16 of the Challenger in eastern Canada. 

Spectacular point win
Schwärzler, currently number 347 in the world rankings, started the match by taking the service from his opponent in the very first game. After another break - including a spectacular "tweener" - he was already 4:1 ahead against the 1304th-ranked player in the ATP rankings before the Canadian managed to break back. However, this was nothing more than a flash in the pan. Joel made it 5:2 with another break and then served out the first set after 45 minutes.

Both players proved to be better in their service games in the second set. There was only one break point in the entire match - and Schwärzler used it to take a 3:2 lead, which he then confidently played home. After losing at the ATP tournament in Vienna, the ITF event in Norwich and most recently the Challenger in Knoxville, the former number one in the junior world rankings was finally able to enjoy a sense of achievement again.

Argentinian Mena now awaits
The Vorarlberg native will now face Argentinian Facundo Mena in the round of 16 on Wednesday. The 32-year-old is seeded number five in Drummondville and appears at number 199 in the ATP ranking.