Neumayer Fails Again in Grand Slam Qualifying

For Lukas Neumayer, the dream of reaching the US Open main draw has been shattered.

The 23-year-old from Salzburg had to concede defeat to the second-seeded Coleman Wong from Hong Kong with a 3:6, 3:6 score in the second qualifying round.

While Neumayer, ranked 191st in the world, entered the match unseeded, Wong, ATP-94, was the clear favorite. The class difference on paper was also evident on the court.

Wong Dominates First Set

Neumayer struggled greatly in his very first service game but was able to fend off a break point from his opponent to take a 1:0 lead. After Wong's prompt equalization, the Salzburg native's serve was again under pressure.

This time, Neumayer could not save the game. Wong secured the break for a 2:1 lead and subsequently allowed nothing on his own serve. The Hong Kong player increased the pressure again towards the end of the set and broke Neumayer's serve for a second time. After 34 minutes, the first set went to Wong with a 6:3 score.

Neumayer found few answers against his opponent's serve. As a returner, the Austrian managed to win only three points throughout the entire first set.

Early Break Seals Neumayer's Exit

Wong also got off to a better start in the second set. Neumayer had to surrender his very first service game, falling behind 0:2 early on.

Subsequently, the Top-100 player left nothing to chance. Wong served strongly, hitting several aces and giving Neumayer no opportunity to get back into the set.

The Salzburg native did not create a single break point throughout the entire second set. Wong confidently brought his lead home and ultimately served out for the match.

Tenth Grand Slam Attempt Ends Unsuccessfully

Thus, Neumayer's tenth attempt to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament also proved unsuccessful.

The Salzburg native had previously failed three times each in the qualifying rounds of the French Open and Wimbledon, twice at the Australian Open, and now for the second time at the US Open.

After Sebastian Ofner, who also exited in qualifying, and Joel Schwärzler, Neumayer is the third ÖTV player for whom the US Open adventure has already ended.

Thus, Jurij Rodionov remains the only Austrian left in the qualifying draw. The 27-year-old is still fighting for a spot in the main draw in the third and final round. Filip Misolic, however, is already confirmed in the main draw.