KITZBÜHEL, July 13, 2016

14 players and two wild cards entered the qualification to the main draw of the €520,070 Generali Open in Kitzbühel. The ATP 250 event is going to kick-off next Saturday.

The list is currently led by world number 139 Kenny de Schepper from France, followed by the Argentines Guido Andreozzi and Máximo Gonzalez. The cut-off will be at about 280th ranking position.

Lucas Miedler (photo: GEPA pictures/ Hans Osterauer)

“I am looking forward to a great qualifying,” tournament director Alexander Antonitsch told.

Two promising youngsters from Austria received the wild cards: 19-year-old Lenny Hampel and 20-year-old Lucas Miedler. The latter has already claimed one singles title on the ITF Pro Circuit in South Africa 2015. The same year, Miedler appeared in the main draw of the ATP 500 event in Vienna, where he battled through the qualifying but lost in the opening round. Hampel is looking to qualify for his first tour-level-event.

Austrian power in doubles competition

The organizers also announced that Dominic Thiem will team-up with his best friend Dennis Novak to play the doubles competition. It will be their first team appearance in Kitzbühel.

The brothers Jürgen and Gerald Melzer will also play together, as they were granted a wild card. In their third attempt in Tyrol, the pair will try to at least reach the semi-finals for the first time. The last time an Austrian triumphed in Kitzbühel’s doubles competition was in 2012, when Julian Knowle lifted the trophy together with his Czech partner Frantisek Cermak.