Struff and Otte advance to second round

Two Germans prevailed in the first round of the BOSS OPEN to make it through to the next.

In the battle between two fellow country-men Oscar Otte and Daniel Altmaier it took two tie-breaks to decide the winner. As they both know each other very well by also playing doubles together, there was no way to surprise the player on the other side of the net. In the end, Otte kept the upper hand 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4). “For me personally, it was very tough because I know him so well and we also play doubles together”, Otte explained after the match. “It was also my first match on grass. I am just happy to have won.”

Jan-Lennard Struff, making his comeback after a nagging injury, had it even tougher. Against American Marcos Giron, he had to go the distance and even save two match points. In the end, he took the match 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (8). “I’m very, very happy that I won”, Struff said. “The past two months were tough for me. I practiced well here the last days, but a match is still something different. In the end, it was the crowd that pushed me the crucial last points.”

The day started with Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi cruising past Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-1. Macedonian qualifier Radu Albot ousted Portuguese Joao Sousa 6-2, 7-6 (7).