Neumayer and Hipfl with First Round Wins at Tulln Challenger

Successful start for the ÖTV aces in Tulln.

At the ATP Challenger, Lukas Neumayer and Nico Hipfl also impressed. The son of former top-100 player Markus Hipfl received a wildcard for the tournament as ATP number 825 and made optimal use of it.

Against Czech Hynek Bartoň (ATP No. 270), the Welser native emerged victorious with a 6:3, 6:3 score. The young talent allowed only one break throughout the match but converted four of his own. A first serve percentage of 70 percent laid the foundation for his progress.

With this win, Hipfl gains at least 88 spots in the world rankings. In the next round, Argentine Alex Barrena (ATP No. 235) awaits.

Sovereign, but unspectacular victory for Neumayer

Austria's number four, Lukas Neumayer, confirmed his role as favorite in the duel with Russian Svyatoslav Gulin (ATP No. 592) and advanced to the next round with a 6:4, 6:2 victory.

The Salzburg native gave his opponent no chance in terms of score, but still made things difficult for himself. Neumayer produced several unforced errors and could have won the match more easily.

After the match, he was self-critical in an ORF interview: "I'm happy that I won it in two sets. I don't think the performance was that good; I didn't feel very comfortable."

The 24-year-old has a hunch about what he can work on for the next match: "You always go into a match differently than into a training session. In training, the arm is often a bit looser; I believe that's the main thing. I need to make sure I find that ease again in the match."

In the round of 16, Neumayer will also face an Argentine, Juan Manuel La Serna (ATP No. 289).