Erler and Mies:

“We do the whole thing for matches like this”

Tyrolean Alexander Erler (right) with his doubles partner Andreas Mies from Germany.(Bild: Alexander Scheuber)

Tyrolean Alexander Erler and his doubles partner Andreas Mies from Germany provided a late highlight at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel on Thursday evening. The two defeated the number one seeded pair Jamie Murray and Adam Pavlasek after a dramatic match 5:7, 7:6 (1) and 11:9. The semi-finals now await. The "Krone" met the pair for a chat immediately after their victory.

"Winning this match is an incredible feeling. The fans whipped us through and kept cheering us on - from start to finish. As our next task awaits us on Friday, we didn't want to celebrate too much, but we enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere for a few minutes. Because that doesn't happen to you every day - especially not in doubles," explains Mies, "we do the whole thing for games like this. These are moments that you never forget. We don't even have an atmosphere like this in Germany." At the end, he even brought his daughter onto the pitch and enjoyed the fan chants with her - see also the video.

"I've never been to a game like this before"
Erler emphasizes that he has already experienced "many great matches" here with his actual doubles partner Lukas Miedler (note: he is currently injured). "But we've never had a match like today," he says, amazed. 

It was unbelievable how loud the fans were.

Andreas Mies

"It was unbelievable how loud they were"
And Mies is also amazed: "The fans got us fired up again and again. It was unbelievable how loud they were. They pushed us at every point - no matter what the score was. They just kept going - even when I made a double fault on my serve, for example. Of course, that spurred us on, we were fully there and in the end we were rewarded for our hard fight."

"I've become more confident"
What is it like for the Tyrolean to serve in front of a home crowd? "I used to be extremely nervous, but it's different now - because I've already won twice in Kitzbühel. That has made me more confident," explains Erler.

The fact that they had to play against the top seeds didn't play a role in their preparation. "Having been on the doubles tour for many years, we know how close the matches can be. It doesn't matter whether you play against a seeded player or not. Sure, there are two or three top teams at the Slams who are a bit better and you have a bit more respect for them - especially because they've already won a few Grand Slams. But even in this situation, you don't think about them being seeded," explains Mies, "in the singles it's more the case that you pay attention to the ranking."

"But we're not blind either"
This Friday, Mathe Middelkoop and Lloyd Glasspool await in the semi-finals. "They're both very good players, but we're not blind either and can go into the game with a broad chest. We'll also have the fans behind us again," Erler is convinced.

Mies is expecting a "hot ride" and a "tight, hot affair". "We will definitely need the support of the spectators. In principle, it's a great honor for me to play alongside Alexander here in Austria and to be able to soak up this special atmosphere. It also pushes me personally. I also really like playing in front of a large audience. Alexander is another one of those ramp jocks," smiles Mies. "There's just a good match between the two of us and hopefully we'll get back on track in the semi-finals," adds Erler.