Daniil Medvedev has a tricky opening task to handle at the 29. TERRA WORTMANN OPEN: The US Open champion (26), who will jump to No. 1 of the ATP World rankings on Monday, has to take on the speedy Belgian David Goffin in his opening match. Goffin was in the finals of Germany’s ATP-500 classic lawn event three years ago and then lost to the “Maestro“Roger Federer. “This will be one of the most exciting matches already at the beginning of the tournament. Anyway, there be will first class tennis from the first day onwards”, tournament director Ralf Weber said at the draw ceremony, which took place on the stage of the OWL local Radio Station on Saturday morning.
He could have been his own lucky charm, Daniel Altmaier, Germany’s current no. 2 from Kempen, but the 23-year-old, who stands on position 59 of the tennis world rankings, drew the Australian fascinating star Nick Kyrgios (ATP 78) as his opponent. Interesting fact: Altmaier’s number was on one of the two last remaining coins at the end; he then drew his own name as second last and thus avoided a match against Stefanos Tsitsipas (ATP 5) from Greece – the number two at the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN. Tsitsipas plays against the Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi (ATP 58). “This promises to be an appealing match against Nick. I think, I can really get into it playing him.”, Altmaier said and remembered well watching the matches in Halle as a youngster eight years ago: “It’s a dream come true for me to now be able to be on the court here myself.”
Local hero Jan-Lennard Struff (ATP 103) will play Ilya Ivashka, the number 49 in the world, in his first round match. Struff could meet the top-seeded Daniil Medvedev in the second round, that would then be a reunion with the opponent he was able to defeat sensationally in the first round last year. Oscar Otte (ATP 61) from Cologne, who is in strong form, will start his mission at the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN against Miomir Kecmanovic (Serbia/ATP 31), one of the climbers of this tennis year. Last year’s winner Ugo Humbert (France/ATP 48) will play a qualifier in his first round, on his mission to defend his title.
One of the high-class first round matches should be the duell between Spanish player Pablo Carreno Busta (ATP 19) and Dane French Open-semi-finalist Holger Rune (ATP 28). In the spotlight are also two further matches between the world’s number eight Andrey Rublev and Nikoloz Basilashvili (Georgia/ATP 26), as well as between Canadian Ass Felix Auger-Aliassime (ATP 9) and the American r Marcus Giron (ATP 53). Current German champion, Henri Squire (ATP 307), who received a wildcard from tourament director Ralf Weber, kicks off playing Serbian Laslo Djere (ATP 54).
