TULLN/STARNBERG, September 15, 2026

The sixth edition of the NÖ Open powered by EVN once again demonstrated the growing importance of international top-level tennis in the Garden City of Tulln, Austria. High-quality competition, near-perfect tennis weather apart from a brief spell of rain, and a strong Austrian performance from Lukas Neumayer, who reached the quarterfinals just days before Austria’s Davis Cup tie against Belgium, combined to make for a highly successful tournament week.

For tournament director Florian Leitgeb of Champ Events, the considerable effort involved in staging the event once again paid off in 2026.

“We can be very happy. We had fantastic weather, watched some excellent tennis and, with Lukas Neumayer, had an Austrian player reach the quarter-finals. Even on the semi-final day, when there were no Austrians left in the tournament, the Center Court was very well attended and the atmosphere was excellent. That shows that while the Austrian players are the biggest crowd-pullers, fans also simply enjoy watching tennis at a high level,” Leitgeb said.

“Of course, we are still dreaming of the first Austrian singles champion in Tulln, but overall it was a very positive week.”

A Lot of Work Behind One Week of Tennis

What spectators experience during tournament week is only the tip of the iceberg. For Leitgeb and his team, preparations for an ATP Challenger 100 begin almost immediately after the final match of the previous edition. Six to nine months of intensive behind-the-scenes work are required before construction can even begin at the TC Tulln.

Sponsors need to be looked after and new partners secured, schedules coordinated with numerous service providers, and infrastructure, offices and stands organised. The actual setup at the venue begins on the Monday before the tournament, with everything from electricity and cabling to workspaces and the final preparations of the clay courts.

Including set-up and dismantling, the organising team spends around three weeks on site.

“Our core team is very small. I have one permanent employee, then we bring in project-based staff, and fortunately we also have a lot of volunteers, most of whom come from the club. And as tournament director, I’m not someone who just gives orders from a distance. An event of this size would hardly be economically viable otherwise,” Leitgeb explained.

“A huge thank you goes to everyone whose commitment and support make this tournament in SPORTLAND Niederösterreich possible.”

Stable Budget Despite Rising Costs

One development Leitgeb is particularly proud of is the tournament’s ability to operate with a largely stable budget despite rising costs. A lean organisational structure and, above all, the long-term support of reliable partners make this possible.

“The fact that partners such as our presenting partner EVN and SPORTLAND Niederösterreich have supported us loyally for so many years is by no means something we take for granted. That trust is extremely important to us. Without this support, a Challenger at this level would not be possible.”

Networking on the Danube

The 2026 edition also saw the tournament expand beyond the tennis courts. For the first time, Champ Events invited sponsors, partners and representatives from the worlds of politics and business to a joint evening at the Süddeck on the Danube.

In a relaxed atmosphere, the focus was on personal exchanges, making new contacts and networking.

“We wanted to give everyone who supports the tournament away from the court a platform as well. The close connection between the organiser, our partners, the city, TC Tulln and SPORTLAND Niederösterreich has long been an important part of the NÖ Open powered by EVN,” Leitgeb said.

“It was a successful evening, and as the saying goes: talking brings people together.”

“We Want to Get Closer to the ATP Tour”

The sporting and organisational ambitions remain high. The ATP sets detailed standards for Challenger tournaments, covering everything from warm-up and cool-down facilities to player catering, hotels, fitness facilities and player lounges.

In Tulln, however, the organisers do not want to simply tick boxes.

“From the beginning, we tried not to simply work through the Challenger rulebook. Our ambition has always been to look upwards when designing the setup and get as close as possible to an ATP 250 tournament. We take a big step forward every year,” Leitgeb said.

“The great thing is that the players notice it and appreciate it.”

The work also has wider significance for Austrian tennis. Following the disappearance of several other Austrian Challenger events, the number of international tournaments at this level in the country has once again become limited.

For Austrian professionals who spend much of their season on the Challenger Tour, playing at home is particularly valuable. Home tournaments provide opportunities for wild cards, reduce travel costs and allow players to earn important ranking points in front of their home crowds.

“We also live from our Austrian players. Every year you can see what it does for the audience when our players go deep into the tournament. At the same time, they save themselves a trip somewhere else in the world and can use those resources, for example, to keep their coach with them for an extra week,” Leitgeb explained.

“That is precisely why tournaments like these are so important for the development of Austrian tennis. I am convinced that, even though the economic situation is currently difficult, more tournaments at this level will return in the future.”

For Leitgeb, who stages the Challenger events in Tulln and Mauthausen, the sixth edition of the NÖ Open therefore represents more than just another successful week of tennis. It is another step in building a sustainable international platform for professional tennis in Austria.