Kazakhstani tennis player Timofey Skatov (163), who qualified for the Swiss Open, lost in the first round of the main draw to Raphael Collignon (42) of Belgium – 6:3, 6:7 (1:7), 4:6. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The 25-year-old native of Petropavlovsk broke in the eighth game of the first set to take it 6:3. In the second set, Skatov broke again, this time in the seventh game, but could not consolidate. The set went to a tiebreak, where the Kazakhstani was unlucky – 1:7.
In the third set, Collignon broke immediately in the first game. Despite all efforts, Skatov could not respond. He found no answer to his opponent's powerful serve. 6:3, 6:7 (1:7), 4:6 in 2 hours 38 minutes. Aces – 17:1, total points won – 110:104.
Kazakhstan's representation in Gstaad has been reduced by a third. Defending champion Alexander Bublik (11) receives a first-round bye. In the second round, he will face the winner of the match between Federico Cina (Italy, 184) and Quentin Halys (France, 90).
Along with Alexander the First, Alexander the Second will also storm the high-altitude Gstaad. Alexander Shevchenko (100) will face another Alexander – Muller (132) from France in the first round.
The Swiss Open Gstaad, the Swiss Open tennis championship, has been held since 1915. Until 1967, it was held in various cities, and in 1968 it found a permanent home in Gstaad, a popular ski resort in the Swiss Alps. It is considered the highest-altitude ATP tournament in Europe (1,050 meters above sea level).
Since 2009, the tournament has been classified as ATP 250. The total prize fund is €612,500.
Over the years, winners of the Swiss Open Gstaad include Swiss Roger Federer, Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Swedish Stefan Edberg, Argentine Guillermo Vilas, and other stars.