CADOLZBURG, January 18, 2025
Justin Engel has reached the singles final of the Cadolzburg Open. The 17-year-old beat fellow German teenager Aaron Funk 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday afternoon.
In front of about 200 spectators inside the Tennis Center Schwadermühle, Engel struck 11 aces and won 34 first-service points to prevail after one hour and 22 minutes.
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“We’ve known each other for a long time and practiced together, so we both know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” said Engel. “Naturally, we both like to play fast, which is why there were very few long rallies. On carpet, you really can’t afford any lapses, like the one I had towards the end of the first set. Fortunately, I was able to fight my way back and take the first set. In the second set, my arm was working the way I wanted it to again.”
World No. 400 Engel, who made waves when he became the first player born in 2007 or later to record an ATP Tour win at the 2024 Almaty Open, is vying for his fifth career title on the ITF World Tennis Tour following his four victories last season in Cap d’Agde, Trier, Uslar and Villach.
Stewart outlasts Wiskandt
Engel will take on No. 8 seed Hamish Stewart, who rallied past sixth-seeded German Max Wiskandt 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. The 25-year-old Briton fired 18 aces and capitalized on six of his 17 break-point chances to secure victory in two hours and 20 minutes.
“I went up a break in the first set but had a bit of laps and he played well. I played well in the second and the third set was head to head battle. Fortunately, I came up with a couple of serves and played some good game towards the end of the match,” Stewart told Tennis TourTalk.
Asked of his game style, the Scot responded: “I think that I have a strong serve. I try to take control of my forehand and get forward whenever it’s possible.”
Stewart, who is seeking his maiden singles title on the Pro Circuit, will appear in his third final. He finished runner-up in Forbach, France 2023 on carpet as well as to compatriot Kyle Edmund on home soil in Sunderland last year.
“The courts in Britain are pretty quick. I grew up on artificial grass and indoors on hard and carpet as well. All of which are very fast surfaces and with my game style it helps my serve and flatter groundstrokes. It definitely suits me here. This my second tournament on carpet and my second final. I think I have to find some more carpet tournaments,” Steward added with a smile and is looking forward to Sunday’s championship match.
“I have seen Engel before. He won a match on the ATP Tour last year. Obviously a lot of crowds are watching him, so I was thinking, ‘who is he?’. Then I remember. So, I will watch a bit of his match and then let’s see for tomorrow,” the World No. 601 said ahead of the pair’s first meeting.
Zeuch/Opitz triumph in doubles
Earlier in the day, Tom Zeuch and Jannik Opitz claimed the doubles title. The all-German combination, who both played college tennis in the United States, defeated Matyas Cerny and Matthew William Donald from the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-1 in 51 minutes.
Tom Zeuch and Jannik Opitz (photo: Florian Heer)
“We have had a really good week with a lot of fun. Of course, we want to win every tournament we play, but we’ve adjusted our mindset to focus less on the results and more on enjoying tennis. Judging by the outcome, this turned out to be quite a good recipe,” Zeuch told Tennis TourTalk after lifting his maiden trophy on the Pro Circuit.
“Tournaments on carpet courts have become very rare these days. However, this surface suits us because we have an aggressive style of play where we aim to get to the net often. We’re both tall and have strong serves, and a fast surface complements our style. We were able to keep the rallies short and, particularly with good volleys, win the crucial points,” added Opitz, who earned his second doubles title on the ITF World Tennis Tour following his triumph alongside Maik Steiner two years ago in Marburg, Germany.
Zeuch and Opitz split €837 in prize money and collected 15 ATP Doubles Ranking points.
