HEILBRONN, May 8, 2018
German young guns Marvin Möller and Rudolf Molleker will receive the first two wild cards into the main draw of this year’s NECKARCUP. This was announced by the organizers of the €85,000 ATP Challenger event on Monday.
19-year-old Möller is a former World No. 9 in the Juniors’ ranking and captured his first ITF Pro Circuit title in Bad Salzdetfurth in November last year. The Hamburg native is currently ranked World No. 570.
Molleker is two years younger than his compatriot and currently sitting on a personal career high World No. 492 in the ATP rankings. The teenager finished runner-up at the ITF Futures in Antalya last month and played the qualifying into the BMW Open in Munich last week. After a big fight Molleker lost in the opening round to Norbert Gombos from Slovakia.
There are still two more wild cards to be announced. “One of them will probably go to another German player, who would otherwise play the qualifying,” tournament director Metehan Cebeci told. Until the last possible time he wants to hold back the fourth wild card.
If Dustin Brown is able to compete in Heilbronn this year will be uncertain. The 33-year-old German is suffering from an ankle injury and will decide his participation only at short notice. #NextGenATP Australian Marc Polmans could replace him in the main draw.
Tom Bucher and Mine Cebeci from the organizing C2B GmbH annnounced an extended social commitment: “We work with the Gerhart Hauptmann School, the Rosenau School and the Silcher School and will welcome 30 to 40 students from these school at the venue each afternoon during the week,” said Bucher. “In addition, we are making a donation campaign for the ‘Familienherberge Lebensweg’ in Ilingen, whose ambassador Guido Buchwald will visit the NECKARCUP on May 18th from 5 to 7 pm and will be available for autographs and selfies.”
For more information, please visit the tournament’s official homepage.
