Rodionov out in the First Round at Erste Bank Open in Vienna

"I often felt like I was controlling the ball. But he just returned everything, I'm not used to such a level," said Jurij Rodionov after the two-set defeat against Alex de Minaur. "Alex played very consistently from the first to the last point," he praised his opponent. He himself can take a lot from this duel. "I know which points I need to work on," he said, referring to consistency and intensity.

Erste Bank Open in Vienna: Rodionov could not capitalize on two break chances in the first set

Rodionov missed his chance for a better result in the first set. The 26-year-old from Lower Austria was unable to capitalize on two break chances at 2:2, and the service continued until 5:4. Rodionov initially fended off a break and thus set point, but on the second, he botched a relatively easy smash to lose the set after 46 minutes.

In the second set, De Minaur played more freely, and Rodionov had to give up his serve again to go 0:2. At 1:4, 0:40, the Lower Austrian initially fended off three break points, but shortly thereafter he had the second break to 5:1 in the bag. De Minaur, who committed only five unforced errors in the entire match, then served out. It was his 300th victory on the ATP Tour.

For Rodionov, the next tournaments are in Taiwan and Seoul, followed by the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna.

(APA/Red)

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