17.06.2021 15:05:13 | Eighteen-year-old Dalibor Svrčina (ATP 588) did not succeed in his first challenger quarter-finals of his career. He lost to the third-seeded Gianluca Mager (ATP 82) at the Moneta Czech Open. However, Svrčinaundoubtedly gave a fearless performance against his Italian opponent.
Even though he did not get through this time, his appearance in the quarter-finals helped the young player from Prostějov improve his career high in the rankings after he jumped almost seventy places forward to the 520th position.“I’m happy for both my performance and progress in the rankings. I played good matches here. However, I failed to convert my chances in the quarter-finals. You have to use them in matches against such strong opponents like these, or else you get punished by them. This is what I failed at this time,“ said Svrčina after he lost his match which he could only play because he had received a wild card from the organizers. “I have to thank Jiří Lehečka and Vít Kopřiva for having played so well and advancing to the main competition directly. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been granted the wild card,“ said Svrčina with a smile.
What did Gianluca Mager have to say about Svrčina’s performance? “We sure played a good match. Dalibor is a very young player and gave a solid performance. The final score 6:3, 6:2 is rather cruel for him as the match was actually much tighter. However, it must have been a great experience for him to play someone from the top hundred at a challenger. It wasn’t easy for me either. I was the favorite and it’s difficult to play a young player who you know nothing about and who can therefore be more relaxed. So, I’m really glad for the victory.“
How does Mager like the tournament so far?“I already played in Prostějov three years ago in 2019. I like to come back because it’s very comfortable here: we are accommodated right in the club which is, of course, a great advantage.“
