18-year old Italian Jannik Sinner was awarded the third wild card for the Erste Bank Open main draw after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) and Dennis Novak (AUT). Thereby, tournament director Herwig Straka stays true to his creed to always secure a spot on the main draw for an uprising youngster. In the past, players like Russia’s Karen Khachanov (already in the Top 10) or Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (currently no 17 in the world) had already played in Vienna with a wild card. Khachanov and Auger-Aliassime are also in the main draw this year.
Jannik Sinner is counted among the top talents on the ATP tour. Born in Innichen, the young man from South Tyrol started the year as no. 551, climbing his way up to no. 119 as of right now. On Thursday, he beat Frenchman Gael Monfils in Antwerp in straight sets to reach the semi-finals. “So, it’s only a matter of time until Jannik Sinner will crack the Top 100. He will be one of the main players of the ATP tour going forward, having earned the wild card for the Erste Bank Open thanks to his outstanding performance this year”, Straka stressed.