HAMBURG, March 11, 2024
The main draw of the Challenger Hamburg kicked off on Monday headlined by two German players, who both advanced to the second round of the €36,900 hard-court tournament.
Nicola Kuhn ousted fourth-seeded Briton Billy Harris 6-4, 7-6(5). The wild card entry struck 10 aces, saved the only break point he faced and won 54 per cent of the total points played to prevail after one hour and 35 minutes.
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“Hamburg seems to always go well for me,” Kuhn said happily after the match. The World No. 589 previously showcased his skills in the Hanseatic city two years ago at the Rothenbaum ATP 500 event, where he pushed Carlos Alcaraz to the brink of defeat, eventually losing in the tie-break of the third set.
However, Kuhn has been hampered by injuries in recent months and years. “My goal is to play a season until November without any injuries,” said the native of Innsbruck. “I have been injury-free on tour since January, and my body has felt good after the first four or five tournaments. That is almost more important to me today than winning a final. I know that if I can play for a certain period, I will achieve good results.”
At just 23 years old, Kuhn is already considered an experienced player. In 2017, he made a breakthrough on the professional tour with a surprising Challenger victory in Braunschweig. Two years later, he secured his second title at this level in Segovia, Spain, propelling him to as high as 174th in the world rankings.
After enduring a forced break during the first half of last season, Kuhn gained confidence and momentum in the latter part of 2023. He won two tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour in Metzingen and Allershausen and aims to continue this trend at Challenger Hamburg.
Squire advances to the second round, Choinski falls
Henri Squire (Duisburg/ATP 271) had little trouble in his match against Canadian Steven Diez. The 23-year-old was solid on his serve, did not face a single break point, and managed to break his opponent’s serve three times. Squire emerged victorious after just one hour and eleven minutes on court.
“I wasn’t here last year and really wanted to compete in Hamburg again,” Squire said. “I feel very comfortable in the hall. The surface is not quite as fast and you can get into a match well.
“I found a good rhythm in the first set, and hardly lost any points on my serve in the second set. In the end, I was able to serve out the match.”
Squire will face Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama in the second round after the World No. 245 eliminated the top-seeded Briton Jan Choinski 6-4, 7-6(5), causing the upset of the day.
Qualifiers strengthen attractive main draw
Four qualifiers completed the main draw earlier in the day. Among them was Briton Kyle Edmund, a former World No. 14, who defeated Kazakhstan’s Denis Yevseyev 6-1, 6-3 in just 55 minutes. Edmund has struggled with knee and wrist problems in recent years but is showing signs of improvement.
“It has taken time, of course, but this year I seem to be in a good place,” said Edmund, who won two tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour in January. “I am trying to get as many matches as possible and continually improve. It was not easy, but I am now happy to be on the court and looking forward.” Edmund will face local wild card Marko Topo in the final match on Tuesday.
Paul defeats Marysko
Former Hamburg champion Jakub Paul of Switzerland also made it into the main draw by defeating German wild card player Vincent Marysko 2-6, 6-0, 6-1.
“It was a difficult match because I hardly knew my opponent. I was quite surprised at how fast he played at the beginning,” explained Paul. “But I also knew that some errors would come from him. After all, he is still a young player. However, I was able to raise my level as the match progressed.”
Paul, who describes himself as an all-rounder on the court and trains at Swiss Tennis in Biel, is no stranger to Hamburg-Horn. Three years ago, he won the former ITF Futures event at the venue of the Hamburg Tennis Federation. “I always enjoy coming back here. I really like the facility, and the courts suit my style of play,” said Paul.
In his first appearance in the main draw at the Challenger level since March last year, Paul will now face compatriot Remy Bertola, who also had to go through the qualifying.
Frenchmen Clement Chidekh and Kenny de Schepper, as well as Michael Agwi of Ireland complete the sextet of qualifiers.
