The home team Patric Prinoth (left) and Erwin Tröbinger.
The sixth edition of the prestigious ITF tournament “Val Gardena Südtirol Raiffeisen” begins next Sunday in Wolkenstein. International tennis talents compete for prize money of $15,000 on the two indoor courts at TC Gherdeina.
22 October 2024
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As the second ITF event of the year in South Tyrol, after the “Sparkasse Alperia Trophy” in Bolzano, the tournament once again attracts players from Europe and beyond.
As in previous years, the local talents Patric Prinoth and Erwin Tröbinger can look forward to wildcards for the main draw. Two other wildcards will be awarded by the Italian Tennis Federation FITP, but their recipients are not yet known. To meet international standards, the tennis courts were recently converted to a slower speed surface.
Prize distribution 2023: Winner Stefano Napolitano, finalist Adrian Oetzbach and the organizing committee of TC Gherd
The field of participants promises to be particularly exciting this year. Although the seeding list will only be determined shortly before the start of the tournament, some well-known players have already registered. At the top is the German Sebastian Fanselow, currently ranked 347th in the ATP world rankings. Other strong competitors are Giovanni Oradini (ATP 513), Mats Rosenkranz (ATP 525), last year’s finalist Adrian Ötzbach (ATP 588) and Peter Heller (ATP 614), who impressed in 2018 with a final win against Jannik Sinner.
Several South Tyroleans at the start
There is also great interest in the qualification, which starts on Sunday. TC Gherdeina awards three of the coveted wild cards, and three more go to players nominated by the Italian association. One of these cards has already gone to the young player Daniel Lechner from TC Rungg. With Nicola Rispoli from Merano and Pietro Fellin from Brixen, who is returning to the tour after studying at Pepperdine University, two more South Tyrolean talents have qualified. Stefano D’Agostino from Kaltern is also expected to deliver a strong performance on the fast indoor surface.
Nicola Rispoli in Action.
The final field of participants will not be determined until late Saturday afternoon, but the tournament already promises high-class sport and exciting matches that will captivate the region’s tennis fans.
