04.06.2024 14:17:06 | Jiri Vesely became the king of Prostejov clay after winning the Czech Open three times (2014, 2015, and 2017). He has perfect knowledge of his, until recently, home venue. That is also why he was considered a favorite before his first UniCredit Czech Open match, in which he was to face the twenty-one-year-old Austrian, Lukas Neumayer.
Moreover, he recently triumphed at the Advantage Cars Prague Open 2024 by Sport-Technik Bohemia, which was held at the Stvanice Tennis Arena in Prague. In his first final since February 2022, he defeated Onclin Gauthier of Belgium, and all indications pointed to him regaining his winning confidence. How did things turn out in the end? Jiri Vesely's dream of a successful return to the Prostějov courts collapsed at the beginning of the second set. After losing the first set to Lucas Neumayer, he lost his serve twice in quick succession at the beginning of the second one. Although he managed to take back one break, it was not enough for the three-time tournament champion to turn things around in his duel with the Austrian youngster. "At 2:3 in the second set, I still had a chance to get back into the match, but I failed to conclude some well-played rallies. The main problem was my serve. I lost it five times and gave my opponent unnecessary chances, which eventually made the difference," said the disappointed Czech player after losing 4:6, 2:6. “There were flashes of good moments in the game, but that's certainly not enough at this level," added Vesely.
