WARSAW/STARNBERG, August 25, 2021
First-round matches at the BNP Paribas Polish Cup concluded on Wednesday at the Legia Tenis & Golf in Warsaw. The highly-expected clash between top seed Daniel Altmaier from Germany, singles champion at last week’s Sauerland Open in Lüdenscheid, and Swedish teenager Leo Borg, however, ended after only two games when the match was suspended due to wet conditions.
After the break it was revealed that Borg had withdrawn from the tournament with a back injury. This is the official announcement by the ATP. Yet, a statement by Borg’s family via Instagram has caused confusion:
“This is so bad. Leo was up 2-0 in the first set when @daniel.altmaier Said the court wasn’t good enough for him but two other matches were played before. @atpchallengertour @atptour it ended after 4 hours that Leo had to withdraw. @bnpparibaspolishcup How could this happen?”
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Altmaier will next take on Camilo Ugo Carabelli. The 22-year-old Argentine defeated 18-year-old Polish wild card entry Maks Kasnikowski 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 24 minutes.
Nicolas Jarry, runner-up to Altmaier in Lüdenscheid, began his Warsaw campaign with a hard-fought 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 win over Spanish veteran Adrian Menendez-Maceiras. The No. 6 seed from Chile fired 14 aces and won 55 per cent of the total points played to seal victory in two hours and 32 minutes.
Jarry will next face Argentine Nicolas Kicker, who edged out Alexander Erler from Austria 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 after two hours and 19 minutes.
Kielan celebrates first Challenger match win
In the bottom half of the draw, World No. 1,925 Szyman Kielan celebrated his first win in his first match at Challenger level. The 18-year-old local favourite, who was awarded a wild card into the main draw as a result of his title win at the Polish Indoor Championships, defeated Goncalo Oliveira of Portugal 7-5, 6-0. Kielan struck five aces and won 65 per cent of his first-service points to prevail after one hour and 16 minutes.
“It’s my first Challenger and I managed to win the match in the main draw right away, so I’m very happy,” Kielan said. “I’m glad that everything turned out as planned. I had to find my rhythm in the first set but it worked out. At the beginning of the second set I managed to break my opponent right away, it must have mentally pulled him down, and it allowed me to dominate the court even more.”
Up next for Kielan will be Austria’s Lucas Miedler, who edged past No. 5 seed Duje Ajdukovic of Croatia 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 after two hours and 10 minutes.
Second seed Jozef Kovalik opened his title bid with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Swiss qualifier Joahn Nikles. The World No. 121 from Slovakia broke his opponent’s serve five times to succeed after one hour and 33 minutes. Kovalik will next play Frenchman Evan Furness, who overcame Orlando Luz of Brazil 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. The encounter lasted two hours and 19 minutes.
Na czwartek zaplanowano 1⃣3⃣ meczów – 8 singli i 5 debli 🎾 Na @LegiaWarszawa Tenis & Golf zobaczymy dwóch Polaków 🇵🇱 Szymona Kielana i Piotra Matuszewskiego
Pierwsze mecze o godz. 10.00❗️❗️❗️#BNPParibasPolishCup #ATPChallenger #MDD #1R@ATPChallenger @m_fyrstenberg pic.twitter.com/SafZcMIt0s
— BNP Paribas Polish Cup (@BNPP_PolishCup) August 25, 2021
