HAMBURG, October 16, 2023
Main draw action at the Hamburg Ladies & Gents Cup ATP Challenger Tour event kicked off Monday with the top two seeds in action.
World No. 177 Adam Walton dominated his match against Turkey’s Ergi Kirkin, winning 6-2, 6-4. The second favourite from Australia sent down five aces and won 71 per cent of his first-service points to seal victory in one hour and 28 minutes.
First-ever Pro-tournament in Europe and first win!
Adam Walton 🇦🇺 beats Ergi Kirkin in straight sets to advance to the second round of the Hamburg Ladies & Gents Cup. #ATPChallenger #Hamburg ⚓ pic.twitter.com/2q6sdHAyi0
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) October 16, 2023
“This is my first indoor event but the conditions here are a bit slower. You have more time for your shots. It allowed me to dictate most of the rallies with my forehand. I think I did my job very well today,” said a satisfied Walton.
The 24-year-old Australian is a rare presence in this region of the tennis world, mainly competing in tournaments in North America or Australia. The Hamburg Ladies & Gents Cup marks his first professional tournament in Europe. “I have been to Europe playing the German League for Solingen, but this is my first-ever pro event in Europe. I played college tennis in the United States and graduated last year. This is my first season on the tour and I feel comfortable on hard courts. However, there are no tournaments in America this week, so I came to Europe to compete here for the next two weeks,” explained the Brisbane native, who earned a master’s degree in Management & Human Resources from the University of Tennessee.
His choice of Hamburg has a special reason, too. “Johanna Silva, who is from Hamburg and is competing here in this week’s women’s event, attended the same college as I did. She had a lot of good things to say about Hamburg. I really like it here, and I hope to get the opportunity to see a bit more of the city.”
In the second round, Walton will face Dutchman Jelle Sels, who defeated North Macedonian Kalin Ivanovski 6-2, 6-4. For the second favourite, who captured his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Cary, United States in August, this presents a new challenge. “I don’t have much of an idea of any of these guys here in Europe. I know much of the guys, who play the States swing. I’ll probably watch a few videos beforehand to get an impression. But I’m definitely looking forward to the match,” stated Walton.
Novak with strong start
In the last match of the day, Dennis Novak of Austria lived up to his favorite status and defeated German wild card entry Marko Topo 7-6(2), 6-1 in one hour and 21 minutes.
“It was a successful start to the tournament. The first set was very close. I played a good tie-break. In the second set, it was important to get an early break to shift the match in my direction,” said the top-seeded Austrian. “I lost a close match in the first round here last year. So, I made it a point to do better this year.”
Novak will next face the winner of the match between Swiss Antoine Bellier and German qualifier Lucas Gerch.
MONDAY – RESULTS
Singles – First Round[1] D. Novak (AUT) d [WC] M. Topo (GER) 76(2) 61[2] A. Walton (AUS) d [Alt] E. Kirkin (TUR) 62 64G. Debru (FRA) d [5] F. Ferreira Silva (POR) 64 61J. Sels (NED) d [Alt] K. Ivanovski (MKD) 62 64
Qualifying Singles – Second Round[8] J. Barranco Cosano (ESP) d [1] D. Jorda Sanchis (ESP) 61 62[4] T. Lamasine (FRA) d [Alt] J. Schnaitter (GER) 62 61[6] [Alt] L. Gerch (GER) d [7] H. Habib (LIB) 62 64[13] M. Sasikumar (IND) d [9] M. Rehberg (GER) 67(9) 61 75D. Masur (GER) d [11] M. Rosenkranz (GER) 46 63 76(5)A. Santillan (AUS) d [12] K. Sultanov (UZB) 62 57 64
