After missing out on the Grand Slam title in singles, ÖTV young talent Joel Schwärzler was at least able to console himself with victory in the doubles competition at the Junior French Open.
The 18-year-old from Vorarlberg, top seeded with Norwegian Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, retained the upper hand in the final against the number two-ranked pair Federico Cina/Rei Sakamoto (ITA/JPN) with 6:4,7:6(3) (report>>>).
“I’m really happy, but the focus was still on the singles. But it’s really nice to win a Grand Slam tournament in doubles,” said Schwärzler after the match.
“Were better in the important moments”
“We played better than them in the important moments. We are a good team, we get on well and we have fun on the court,” said the Vorarlberg native when asked what made him and his Scandinavian partner stand out as a team. The duo showed fighting spirit, especially in the second set, when they were able to turn the game around after trailing 0:5 and 30:40.
Coach Jürgen Melzer, also present, was also pleased with his protégé’s performance: “It’s a great success. It’s not every day that you become a Grand Slam winner, which is really cool. It was a good tournament for both of them. They lived up to their role as favorites. Now Joel can call himself a Grand Slam champion – at least among the juniors.”
No more junior tournaments from Schwärzler
However, the junior chapter is now closed for Schwärzler. Shortly after the final, he announced that he would no longer compete in the remaining tournaments in Wimbledon and the US Open this year.
“I will not play any more junior tournaments, that was the last one,” the left-hander said bluntly.
Schwärzler’s doubles tournament victory was the third Austrian triumph at Roland Garros in the ongoing competitions, after Maximilian Taucher won the wheelchair juniors’ title in both the singles and doubles on Friday.
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2024-06-08 18:08:24
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