Qualifying exit in Uruguay

Schwärzler was ahead three times and still lost

Joel Schwärzler failed in Uruguay.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer/Kronenzeitung)

Austria's biggest tennis hope for the future, Joel Schwärzler from Vorarlberg, is currently touring South America. After the 18-year-old made it through to the round of 16 at a Challenger in Argentina last week, he failed to qualify in Uruguay. But the youngster would have had his chances...

Last week, Joel Schwärzler from Harden was able to celebrate reaching the round of 16 at the ATP Challenger tournament in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires, but then had to give way to Alvaro Guillen Meza (Ecu).

This week, the 18-year-old continued his South American tour in Punta del Este (Uru), where Schwärzler had to qualify. The 330th-ranked player in the world got off to a promising start. In the first round, the youngster beat the 29-year-old Peruvian Conner Huertas del Pino (ATP no. 275) 6:4, 6:2 after 93 minutes.

Leads squandered
In the qualifying final against Juan Bautista Torres (Arg/ ATP no. 281), Joel was twice ahead with a break in the first set, but the 22-year-old managed to break back both times and pulled away to 5:3 with another break. Schwärzler managed to shorten the gap, but lost the first set 4:6. The Vorarlberg native also took his opponent's serve in the second set to make it 2:1 - but after that he was unable to take a single game and left the clay court after 93 minutes as a 4:6, 2:6 loser.