CADOLZBURG/STARNBERG, January 14, 2025

The second edition of the Cadolzburg Open, an ITF World Tennis Tour M15 tournament being held on carpet at the Tennis Center Schwadermühle, saw its main draw gets underway on Tuesday.

All eyes were on the all-German affair between No. 6 seed Max Wiskandt and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, a former Davis Cup hero World No. 71, who competed in his first match on the Pro Circuit since the Tenerife Challenger in February 2023. Wiskandt, who reached the final of a junior ITF tournament at the Schwadermühle Tennis Center in 2019, showcased aggressive tennis from the start, frequently coming to the net and holding his service games confidently. At 4-4, the 22-year-old seized his first break opportunity and served out the first set.

The second set was a rollercoaster. World No. 513 Wiskandt broke Stebe in the opening game but immediately lost his serve without scoring a point. Despite gaining two more breaks during the set, Wiskandt saw Stebe fight back each time in his first tour match in two years. After a crucial break to lead 6-5, Wiskandt held his nerve and sealed the 6-4, 7-5 victory with an ace after one hour and 41 minutes.

“That was the best first-round match I’ve played in a long time,” said Wiskandt. “As a seeded player, I could have faced an easier opponent than Cedrik. That makes me even happier to have delivered such a strong performance today. I also remembered that I had a very successful junior tournament here in this hall, which gave me a boost before the match.”

Up next for Wiskandt will be Michal Krajci of Slovakia, who eased past local wild card entry Alen Mujakic 6-2, 6-1.