KITZBÜHEL/STARNBERG, July 22, 2026
Jurij Rodionov gave the Kitzbühel crowd plenty to cheer about on a nearly sold-out Center Court, but Austria’s last remaining singles player was ultimately stopped in the second round by fourth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who advanced at the Generali Open with a 6-2, 7-6(4) victory.
Rodionov struggled to find his rhythm in the opening set and fell behind 2-6. The second set followed a similar pattern at first, as the Lower Austrian was broken early. Backed by a vocal home crowd, however, he fought his way back into the contest and forced a tiebreak, where the Argentine clay-court specialist finally prevailed.
Stretch for success 🤸💫#GeneraliOpen | @tometcheverry pic.twitter.com/Ye9yLXnOnl
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 22, 2026
“I wasn’t playing only for myself today, but also for the spectators,” Rodionov said afterward. “I wanted to give them a good match because the first two matches had been relatively quick. It would have been disappointing if they had seen three matches in less than three hours.”
The atmosphere on Center Court gave him an extra boost. “It’s always a privilege to play here. When I got the breaks back, felt the energy of the crowd and had goosebumps, I wanted to enjoy that moment as much as possible.”
Etcheverry was relieved after the hard-fought encounter. “It was a tough match, especially playing against an Austrian here,” he said. “I’m very happy to be in Kitzbühel. I love playing here — it’s one of my favorite places on clay.”
With Rodionov’s exit, Austrian hopes now rest on the doubles draw. Lukas Neumayer and Joel Schwaerzler will face Kevin Krawietz and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, while Lucas Miedler and his Australian partner Marc Polmans take on Jean-Julien Rojer and Theodore Winegar in the quarterfinals.
Miedler and Polmans provided a positive finish to the day from a local perspective by extending their impressive run together. The pair had teamed up for the first time only last week and immediately captured the title in Gstaad. Now they have another deep run in sight in Kitzbühel.
“It’s always incredible to play here, and Kitzbühel is one of my favorite places, especially in front of such a big crowd,” Miedler said. “It was a nice surprise that we were moved to Center Court. I hope we get the chance to play there again.”
Polmans has also enjoyed the new partnership. “I really enjoy playing with Lucas. He’s a great person on and off the court. The atmosphere tonight was unbelievable, and it was my first time on this beautiful Center Court.”
Earlier in the day, Mariano Navone produced a dominant performance to defeat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-0, 6-3 and reach the Kitzbühel quarterfinals for the first time.
“It’s a very special moment for me,” Navone said. “I’m extremely happy because I played a great match and my level was very high today.”
Quentin Halys also advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win over second seed Valentin Vacherot, ending the Monegasque’s debut campaign in Kitzbühel. The Frenchman called it “one of the best matches” he has played this season.
Alex Molcan continued his impressive run as well, following up his upset of Austrian No. 1 Sebastian Ofner with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Daniel Altmaier to book his place in the last eight.
Although no Austrian remains in the singles draw, the tournament now heads into a high-quality quarterfinal stage. Defending champion and top seed Alexander Bublik leads the field and will face Molcan in one of the standout matches of the day.
