ORTISEI, October 6, 2018

The qualifying draw for the 9th edition of the Sparkasse Challenger Val Gardena has been made. Action at the Tennis Club Ortisei will kick off on Saturday morning. Top seed of the qualifying is Viktor Galovic from Croatia, who is joined by Germany’s Kevin Krawietz, Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi and Christopher Heyman of Belgium. All four players receive a first-round bye.

Seven players from South Tyrol will battle for a spot in the main draw of the €64,000 ATP Challenger event. Alexander Weis, Joy Vigani from Brixen and Patric Prinoth from St. Christina. Michael Kerschbaumer and Pietro Orlando Fellin have been awarded a wild card by the organizers just like 16-year-old Jonas Greif from Kaltern and 18-year-old Manuel Bernard from Bolzano.

Main draw withdrawals

World No. 83 Jozef Kovalik as well as fellow Slovak Norbert Gombos have withdrawn from the tournament. Italian Luca Vanni and Jurgen Zopp from Estonia will also not be able to compete in the main draw.

The quartet will be replaced by alternates Stefano Napolitano, who clinched the Val Gardena trophy in 2016, Germans Dustin Brown and Oscar Otte as well as Ante Pavic from Croatia. Tomislav Brkic from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Daniel Masur of Germany will also appear in the main draw.