Out in Oviedo

Tiebreak expert also eliminates Joel Schwärzler

Joel Schwärzler reached the last 16 in Oviedo.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer/Kronenzeitung)

ÖTV future hope Joel Schwärzler is out of the ITF M25 tournament in Oviedo, Spain! The 18-year-old from Vorarlberg was surprisingly beaten twice in tiebreaks by qualifier Alejandro Garcia (Spain).

The Harder, who is currently ranked 375th in the ATP rankings, was actually the clear favorite going into the match against the local hero, who is four years his senior. Especially as Garcia has never been better than 961st in the world rankings and is currently ranked 1631st.

However, as in his first round match against his Spanish compatriot Sergi Perez Contri, Garcia also proved his fighting spirit and stamina against Schwärzler. He beat Contri 7:6 (13) and 7:6 (4) in the end, but the Austrian was also beaten 6:7 (1) and 6:7 (9).

Chances were there
Bitter, as Schwärzler had his chances, especially in the second set. The youngster was twice ahead with a break, but Garcia was able to hit back both times. And Joel was also unable to convert two set points in the tie-break.