04.06.2013 13:20:17 | UniCredit Czech Open has its first big surprise, the third-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen, the 2005 champion was beaten by the twenty-three year old German Gojowczyk in two sets 6-7(5), 4-6. Interestingly, the match developed favorably for Nieminen, the Finn lead 4-1 in the first set, 3-1 in the second, but that was not enough. Gojowczyk (169 ATP) was not in a good shape before the tournament, he lost in the first qualification round at French Open to Croatian Antonio Veic, ATP ranking 179. What was the trick the German Gojowczyk played on Nieminen? "It was not about him, it was rather about me. I am not very happy with my play. He played very well, I didn't. I made a break in the first set but then he got the service back and I could not stop him. It was a very difficult match. My moves were slow, my feet were heavy, and my shots were not dangerous. I am very disappointed.
What was the main reason of your defeat and elimination in the first round?
"There were many things. It was a good performance of my opponent, and his hard serve on one hand and my poor movement on the other. My shots were either too short or too long. I wanted to push harder but my hits were not right," said Nieminen, who plays the extra league in Prostėjov, after the match. "It is always very nice to come back to this tennis center. I have been here a few times before and that's why the today's elimination is worse and hard for me to chew. I wanted to play as many matches as possible because I like to play here, and, in the end, I finish after the first match."
How does Nieminen compare the quality of the tournament before and now? "There are not so many tournaments with such a good organization and perfect facilities. The competition courts, the training courts, as well as the accommodation, all in one place - that is the benefit of this tournament. Also, to compare my winning year with today, the tournament quality went substantially up. There are many strong players in the main draw and the winner of this challenger will not have an easy job, the path to victory in Prostėjov is very hard."
