Thursday evening, 9:30 pm, Marx Halle. Lucas Miedler and Neil Oberleitner raise their arms in celebration. Jubilation, relief and joy after a nerve-racking opening match in the Erste Bank Open doubles competition.

Austria’s leading doubles team had to battle hard on a still well-filled #glaubandich Court. In the end, they defeated Petr Nouza and Michael Venus (CZE/NZL) 6-4, 4-6, 10-8.

“That was a little too exciting for our liking, but we are delighted to be through to the second round,” Oberleitner said with relief. “I lost some momentum in the second set, they took advantage of that opportunity and that is why it became so close.”

Instead of closing out the match in two sets, the Austrians were forced into a match tie-break. “You can win the match in two sets, but you can just as easily lose it. At 7-8 in the match tie-break, for example, we were fortunate with a net cord. We made life too difficult for ourselves, but at the end of the day, we walked off the court as the winners.”

There was also an encouraging omen: Last year, Miedler and his then partner Francisco Cabral also had to contest a match tie-break in the opening round. They won it 10-8 and ultimately reached the final. Oberleitner is hoping for a similar run.

“The fans carried us, and that obviously helps in a match tie-break. Lucas already knows what that feels like, but for me it was my first victory at the Erste Bank Open. One thing is certain: We are hungry for more.”

His partner added: “Neil brings the hunger, I bring the experience. That is exactly how we will continue.”

The Austrians will face Harri Heliövaara and Henry Patten (FIN/GBR), the world’s No. 1 doubles team, in the quarter-finals.

“They are the best team in the world. It often does not even look spectacular, but they simply do everything extremely well. I have beaten them once before at this tournament, though. If something like that is possible, it is in front of a home crowd.”

No joy for Rodionov and Neumayer

Jurij Rodionov and Lukas Neumayer, who entered the doubles main draw with a wild card, suffered a 6-0, 6-2 defeat against Americans Ryan Seggerman and Learner Tien.

“Unfortunately, it was not good. We conceded early breaks in both sets,” Neumayer said. “We treated the doubles as an additional training session, but the result is still disappointing.”

Nevertheless, he was able to reflect positively on his week and look ahead: “I played a good singles tournament, and that is much more important. Now it is time to focus on the next tournaments.”

Rodionov added: “I did not underestimate them, but I was still surprised in the end. No matter what we did, they were able to step up another gear.”

At least he was able to enjoy the atmosphere inside the Marx Halle and its packed stands. “It is really cool here and we players feel very comfortable. The atmosphere on the court is excellent, although unfortunately we were unable to generate the corresponding excitement today,” said Rodionov, who fulfilled numerous autograph requests afterwards.

“It is not something we should take for granted that so many fans come here – but it should be taken for granted that we take the time to sign autographs. These people are the reason tennis is so popular and why we are able to play the sport professionally.”

On the Fairplay Court, second seeds Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski (USA/GBR) lived up to their status as favourites, advancing to the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Brazilians Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos. Argentine qualifiers Máximo González and Andrés Molteni defeated Ignacio Buse and Luciano Darderi (PER/ITA) 7-6(4), 6-3.

The doubles quarter-finals will take place on the #glaubandich Court at the Marx Halle on Friday. Miedler and Oberleitner will play the third match after 1:00 pm, starting no earlier than 3:30 pm.