HAGEN/STARNBERG, August 7, 2026
The quarterfinals in the singles and semifinals in the doubles were played on Friday at the Platzmann Open 2026. The highlight of the day was the all-German clash between Tom Gentzsch and Henri Squire.
In front of a nearly sold-out Center Court, the two longtime acquaintances battled through an intense and closely contested quarterfinal. Gentzsch is from Duisburg, while Squire hails from Düsseldorf, and the two have known each other for around ten years. Squire’s father also coached Gentzsch for an extended period of time.
Gentzsch gets the better of Squire
The match started evenly before Gentzsch took the initiative early and established a lead. While Squire repeatedly looked to move forward and keep the rallies short, Gentzsch was more comfortable defending and used his powerful forehand to great effect. Both players served strongly and gave their opponent very few opportunities.
The second set developed into an equally balanced contest. The momentum shifted several times as both players showed great composure and kept the match level all the way to the tiebreak. Gentzsch eventually prevailed 6-3, 7-6(5) to book his place in the semifinals of the ATP Challenger event.
“It wasn’t the best match from either of us,” Gentzsch said afterwards. “We have known each other for many years and have trained together a lot, so we were both pretty tense. But I tried to keep fighting regardless of the score, and I’m very happy that I won.”
In the semifinals, Gentzsch will face third seed Zsombor Piros, whom he has already beaten once this year.
“I think it’s going to be another tough battle. The last time we played, we were on court for more than three hours. Now I need to recover a little and then we’ll see what happens tomorrow,” Gentzsch said.
Piros reached the semifinals with a convincing 6-4, 6-1 victory over Dutchman Guy den Ouden.
Kym and Moller continue their impressive runs
The other semifinal will feature Switzerland’s Jerome Kym and Denmark’s Elmer Moller.
Kym defeated Lorenzo Giustino 6-3, 7-6(4), despite falling 3-0 behind in the second set.
Jerome Kym is fired up 🔥
The Swiss moves past Giustino 6-3, 7-6(4) to reach the final four in Hagen #ATPChallenger | @swiss_tennis pic.twitter.com/Yv8e3eiQIj
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) August 7, 2026
“You have to stay in there for every point. At the beginning of the second set, I was a little bit asleep, but I managed to take it point by point and then win in the end,” Kym said.
Moller once again had to go the distance. After a first set that lasted almost 80 minutes, the Dane defeated Spain’s Carlos Taberner 7-6(4), 7-5.
“I think it was a match with a lot of ups and downs. There were quite a few breaks and some difficult games. Overall, it was a very good match, and of course I’m very happy that I managed to win in the end,” Moller said.
Looking ahead to his semifinal against Kym, the Dane added: “He plays very aggressively and has a strong serve. I think we’re in for a tough and closely contested match.”
