KIGALI/STARNBERG, February 27, 2025
Austrian tennis player Maximilian Neuchrist is back in Kigali, where he won the ITF World Tennis Tour M15 tournament in October last year. A multiple-time ITF champion in Africa, Neuchrist has carried his success onto the ATP Challenger Tour, advancing to the semi-finals of the Rwanda Challenger with a strong run on the clay courts of the IPRC Kicukiro Ecology Tennis Club.
The 33-year-old from Vienna fought past Dutchman Max Houkes 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Neuchrist withstood nine aces and broke his opponent’s serve three times to seal victory in three hours and six minutes.
Neuchrist at it again!
He holds on to edge out Max Houkes 6-4 5-7 7-6(5).
See you in the semifinals, Max! ⏏️#RwandaChallenger2025 pic.twitter.com/o4KfFkBACX
— Rwanda Challenger (@RWAChallenger) February 27, 2025
The World No. 561 has clinched 15 career titles on the ITF Pro Circuit, including triumphs in Uganda, Nigeria and Senegal but is still seeking his maiden crown at Challenger level.
“In the meantime, I have been exploring cities more and trying to experience some local specialties,” Neuchrist told Tennis TourTalk in a 2023 interview. “It truly is a privilege to travel the world as a professional athlete. Many of my friends envy me and tell me to keep playing until my foot falls off. When you are aware of this, you can enjoy it even more.”
Neuchrist entered the main draw of the Rwanda Challenger as an alternate. He will appear in his first semi-final on the Challenger Circuit since April 2023 in Leon, Mexico taking on Slovakian qualifier Andrej Martin, who beat Mathys Erhard of France 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 10 minutes.
Royer leads semi-finals line-up
In the bottom half of the draw, Valentin Royer also needed to go the distance battling past sixth-seeded Romanian Filip Cristian Jianu 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(3). The No. 3 seed from France fired 13 aces and won 79 per cent of his first-service points to prevail after three hours and six minutes.
Up next for Royer will be Italian wild card entry Marco Cecchinato, who edged out No. 5 seed Lukas Neumayer of Austria, winning 6-3, 6-7(7), 7-5. The encounter lasted two hours and 30 minutes.
