10.06.2023 14:03:21 | The 30th anniversary edition of the UniCredit Czech Open saw a Czech final the second time in a row and the sixth time in the tournament's history. This time it featured Dalibor Svrčina and Tomáš Macháč. Svrčina also appeared in the Prostějov final last year in which he lost to Vít Kopřiva. He comes from Prostějov and plays well on the home clay. He stunned many by ousting the great Czech hope Jakub Menšík and repeated the last year's success in the semi-final in which he knocked out Lukáš Klein of Slovakia with perfect tactics.
Twenty-two-year-old Tomáš Macháč arrived in Prostějov after four defeats, but he did not lose a single set in the tournament. This was the first H2H match between Macháč and Svrčina. They already were to clash at tournaments twice previously, but in both cases the match did not take place. Macháč retired from the semi-final in Prague last year and Svrčina retired from the 1/8 final in Andria, Italy. What about their winning statistics? Svrčina won his only title in 2021 on clay in Prague, while the two-year older Macháč, who briefly entered the top 100 of the world rankings at the end of last year, has won four Challengers, all on hard surface.
Dalibor Svrčina (TK AGROFERT Prostějov) dominated the grand final. After failing last year, he won the most valuable trophy in his career this time. In the first set he broke Macháč’s serve in the tenth game and took the lead. In the second set he also had the upper hand and eventually received ovation after winning it 6:2. "I was nervous before the match, but it gradually got better. I engaged Tomáš in long rallies, had a good rhythm and won points. This is my greatest victory," rejoiced Svrčina. This was a nice birthday present for his mother who was watching the final match in stalls.
The defeated finalist also had words of appreciation for his opponent: "Dalibor played really smart and went for the win. I tried to change the rhythm, but nothing worked. However, it’s been a great week and maybe I will succeed next year," said Macháč.
