KASSEL, July 19, 2015
Top-seed Oriol Roca Batalla captures the title at the US-$ 15.000 Future tournament, winning the 18th edition of the Wilhelmshöhe Open in Kassel on Sunday.
However, the tournament ended in an unfortunate way, as the Spaniard’s opponent in the final, Peter Torebko, was forced to retire at 1-4 in the first set due to injury. The 27-year-old German twisted his knee at 1-3, he just gave it try but eventually wasn’t able to play on.
“I am utterly disappointed,” Torebko told afterwards. “I would have loved to play here three sets and win in front of this great crowd.” The spectators applauded their favourite player, lasting several minutes.
Kassel’s finalists: Peter Torebko (left) and Oriol Roca Batalla (photo: Dieter Schachtschneider)
For Oriol Roca Batalla, claiming his 10th ITF Future title was a bittersweet one, as he would have also liked to finish the final by converting a match point. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old enjoyed his stay in Kassel. “For me, this is the best tournament on the ITF Pro Circuit,” he stated and hopes to reach the qualifying of the US-Open.
Despite the short final, tournament director Dr. Eberhard Engelmann was satisfied with the week. “I am very glad with this year’s edition. In particular the young guns played really well and lifted the tournament to another level,” he told. “We are also pleased that Davis Cup captain Michael Kohlmann and his youngsters attended the tournament the entire week. I think, that the quality of the matches hasn’t been like this before.”
