AUGSBURG, August 23, 2026
The fifth anniversary edition of the Schwaben Open by Great2Stay got underway on Sunday with the opening round of qualifying. The “Match of the Day” between Germany’s Maximilian Marterer and Benjamin Hassan (ATP No. 514) of Lebanon, provided the spectators with two and a half sets of spectacular tennis before German Davis Cup player Marterer was forced to retire injured at 1-4 in the deciding set.
Expectations were high for the clash between Marterer and Hassan, both of whom have represented their respective countries at the Davis Cup and the Olympic Games. The spectators were rewarded with an entertaining and high-quality contest from the very beginning. The 31-year-old Marterer impressed with the tremendous power behind his shots, while the same-aged Hassan countered with his varied game and spectacular drop shots. At 5-5, Hassan earned the first break point of the entire set, converted it decisively and then served out to take the opening set.
Marterer, who had only recently returned to the tour following an almost year-long injury layoff, refused to give up. After an early break, the left-hander immediately dropped his own serve as well, but he kept the match completely open as the set progressed and shifted the momentum in his favour in the tiebreak to level the match. The third set also began evenly before Hassan secured a break for a 3-1 lead and consolidated it with a love service game. Marterer was then forced to retire due to injury.
After the match, Hassan said: “Of course, this is not the ending you want for such an exciting and high-quality match. I also feel very sorry for Maxi and hope it is nothing serious. At least he told me that it was not the old injury that had kept him out for so long. I had already noticed in the second set that he was struggling a little, but he still made it incredibly difficult for me with his strong serves and the quality of his first shot. He also fought incredibly hard in the tiebreak.”
In the qualifying final, Hassan will face Czech Matthew William Donald.
Sanchez-Martinez operpowers Beckley
Benito Sanchez-Martinez (ATP No. 1002) entered his match against South African Alec Beckley (ATP No. 560) with particularly fond memories of Augsburg. Last year, the Berlin-based player came through qualifying in the singles draw before reaching the quarterfinals, while he also captured the doubles title alongside his compatriot Daniel Masur.
After making a promising start with an early break, the 24-year-old surrendered his serve to level the score at 2-2. He then completely took control, however, using his powerful groundstrokes to prevent his 25-year-old opponent from finding his rhythm. Carrying that momentum into the second set, the former college player moved into a winning position with an early break and sealed a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory after 70 minutes by winning the final three games in a row.
In the qualifying final, the former junior Grand Slam competitor will face Dominik Recek (ATP No. 822) of the Czech Republic.
Afterwards, the left-hander said: “I felt very comfortable on this beautiful facility from the start. The altitude here also suits my game very well, which was reflected in the clear result. There were so many spectators for the first day of qualifying, and their support helped me a lot.”
Wehnelt keeps his nerve against Siniakov
On the opening match on Court 1, Kai Wehnelt (ATP No. 625), who was part of Germany’s victorious United Cup team alongside Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber in 2024, faced Czech Daniel Siniakov (ATP No. 467), the younger brother of current women’s doubles world No. 1 Katerina Siniakova.
After both players dropped their opening service games, they found their rhythm on serve and took the first set into a tiebreak. The 30-year-old Wehnelt had the edge and secured the opening set. With that momentum behind him, the Berlin player moved into a 4-2 lead in the second set, only for his opponent to fight back and force another tiebreak.
The former world No. 147 in doubles once again showed his composure, racing to a 3-0 lead and never allowing Siniakov back into the match. Wehnelt completed a hard-fought 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) victory after one hour and 50 minutes.
“I struggled a little at the beginning with the changing conditions between light and shade,” the satisfied winner said afterwards. “My opponent also played very well and put me under a lot of pressure, especially on my second serves. I had a little bit of luck on my side in the tiebreaks, particularly with the decisive net cord for 4-1 in the second set, and I’m just really happy with this hard-fought win.”
Gavrielides finds his rhythm against Fuele
For the second time after 2024, Liam Gavrielides (ATP No. 1143) set out to claim his first match win in Augsburg. Against Hungary’s Matyas Fuele (ATP No. 559), the Ludwigsburg-based player made a slow start and fell 2-4 behind after dropping his serve.
The 22-year-old gradually gained confidence in his shots, however, and turned the first set around. In the second set, the two-time junior Grand Slam competitor took complete control and did not allow his 27-year-old opponent to win another game, completing a 7-5, 6-0 victory after 74 minutes.
“I had some problems with my serve at the beginning,” said the Stuttgart-born player. “Once I was able to improve my first-serve percentage significantly, I also had much more confidence in my groundstrokes and was then able to take complete control of the match.”
His next opponent will be Switzerland’s Mika Brunold (ATP No. 423), whom Gavrielides knows well.
“I know Mika well, of course. We already played doubles together in the junior ranks and at the professional level, and we have also faced each other in singles. I lost our last match against him, so I’m obviously hoping for a successful rematch.”
Bavarian youngster Matic makes courageous Challenger debut against Strombachs
Dominik Matic of TC Großhesselohe opened proceedings on Centre Court after earning his wildcard through his top position in the BTV NextGen-Series overall standings. His opponent was Berlin-based Robert Strombachs (ATP No. 449), who has represented his father’s home country Latvia several times in the Davis Cup.
After saving two break points in the opening game, the Bavarian youngster showed plenty of courage on his Challenger debut. He recovered an early service break in the fifth game to level the score at 4-4. Despite leading 40-0, however, Matic surrendered his serve again and subsequently lost the opening set.
The 20-year-old continued to compete on equal terms and again recovered from a break down in the second set, forcing a tiebreak. There, the 26-year-old Strombachs used his greater experience to prevail, sealing a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory after 88 minutes with a forehand winner.
The qualifying final will now feature an all-Berlin clash between Strombachs and Wehnelt.
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