Upset! Sorger Dispatches Kopp in Austrian Duel

Sebastian Sorger caused a major upset at the ATP-125 Challenger in Plovdiv.

The 20-year-old Styrian confidently defeated third-seeded Sandro Kopp 6:1, 6:1 in their first-round Austrian duel and advanced to the round of 16.

For Sorger (ATP-450.), it is already his second victory in his second encounter with his ÖTV colleague, who is ranked 161 places higher.

Kopp had only reached the Challenger final on the clay courts of Plovdiv at the end of June, narrowly missing out on his first title at this level. However, none of that was evident in his renewed appearance in Bulgaria.

Sorger Dominant from the Start

Sorger got off to a clearly better start and immediately broke Kopp's serve twice.

The Tyrolean found no way into the match at all and won just four points in the first four games. After falling 0:4 behind, Kopp stabilized his own serve somewhat, but did not force a single break point against his compatriot.

Instead, Sorger struck again shortly before the end of the set, securing a third break and clearly winning the first set 6:1.

Kopp Without a Chance

The second set presented a similar picture. Sorger broke Kopp's serve early to go up 2:0 and confirmed the break shortly after for a 3:0 lead.

The Styrian performed with utmost confidence throughout the match, allowing no break points on his own serve and dictating play at will.

Kopp, on the other hand, had a terrible evening and found no answers against his compatriot. With another 6:1, Sorger sealed the surprisingly clear victory and advanced to the round of 16.

There, the 20-year-old will face either Italy's Lorenzo Angelini or Bulgarian local hero Petr Nesterov.