BAD RAPPENAU, June 5, 2026

For the first time since 2015, two German players have reached the semi-finals of the Neckarcup. Back then, it was Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff who made it to the final four ATP Challenger Tour event in Heilbronn.

The first German success on day six of the 2026 edition in Bad Rappenau came courtesy of Henri Squire. The 25-year-old from Düsseldorf defeated Spain’s Alejandro Moro Canas in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3. The match reflected the narrow gap between the two players in the rankings, with Moro Canas currently ranked No. 242 and Squire No. 249 in the world.

Both players exchanged breaks early on before holding serve for the remainder of the opening set, which was ultimately decided in a tie-break. Two crucial breaks in the second set then secured Squire’s deserved place in the semi-finals.

“It was pretty cold at the beginning,” Squire said afterward. “The balls weren’t really coming off the racket well and the rain made things difficult. I struggled a bit to find the right depth on my shots. But as the match went on, it got better and better. I also started putting more pressure on the return. That didn’t work so well at first, but gradually I found my rhythm. Now I’m just looking forward to being back on court tomorrow.”

Asked about his aggressive approach on second serve, Squire added: “You often see it with me—if I win more than 50 percent of the points behind my second serve, things usually look pretty good. That’s why it’s worth taking risks there.”

Shortly afterward, Squire nearly achieved another success in the doubles competition. Together with Max Wiskandt, he narrowly lost to the German-Dutch pairing of Tim Ruehl and Mick Veldheer, who prevailed 6-3, 6-7, 10-5 in the match tie-break.

Squire’s semi-final opponent was determined in the next match, where second seed Emilio Nava gained revenge for last year’s quarter-final defeat against Dutchman Guy den Ouden. Although den Ouden captured the opening set 6-4, Nava raised his level significantly and completed a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 comeback victory.

“Last year’s Neckarcup match didn’t play any role today,” Nava said. “It was simply a great match, and I hope we gave the fans a good show.”

The surprise of the day came from Next Gen player Diego Dedura. The 18-year-old German stunned top seed Marco Trungelliti of Argentina 6-2, 6-3 in just 73 minutes. Despite taking an early 2-0 lead in the opening set, Trungelliti never found his rhythm and proceeded to lose six consecutive games. Dedura secured the decisive break at 4-2 in the second set and comfortably closed out the match.

Henri Squire ✔️
Diego Dedura ✔️

For the first time since 2015 (Zverev, Struff), two players from 🇩🇪 have reached the semis of the Neckarcup. #ATPChallenger #Neckarcup pic.twitter.com/S1vOeVpJdH

— NECKARCUP 2.0 (@NeckarH) June 5, 2026

“I noticed that he wasn’t playing at his best, and I just focused on my own game,” said Dedura, who reached the second Challenger semi-final of his career. The teenager had previously made the last four at the Challenger event in Tigre, Argentina, in February.

Awaiting Dedura in the semi-finals is Croatian talent Luka Mikrut. In the final match of the day, Mikrut fought back from a set down to defeat German qualifier Marvin Moeller 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.