Austria were heavily favored to win this draw, and having won both singles matches on the opening day, it would have taken a truly extraordinary turn for Ireland to overturn the odds.
Considering the line-up for today’s first leg, the Austrians will feature five-time ATP title winners Alexander Ahler and Lukas Miedler, three of which came within the last year, while the Irish will have five-time ATP title winners Alexander Ahler and Lukas Miedler. With veteran David O’Hare on the roster, that possibility was even less likely. These days, he works primarily as a coach and as a sophomore at the University of Memphis, Connor Gannon.
It seemed like a quick death for Ireland’s hopes. The Men in Green played nervously, but Gannon’s first service game was a disaster, and the Austrians dominated the match to take the set 6-1, with the final point coming from O’Hare’s double fault. was.
But Ireland, led by non-playing captain Conor Niland, rebuilt their side and certainly raised the bar, filling the crowd of nearly 2,400 with cheers. When he held serve after multiple deuces in the fourth game, it looked as if he had won Wimbledon, but in many close matches he went 6-all without a break.
Ireland built a 5-4 advantage in the tiebreak with two serves from O’Hare, but they were unable to press home, losing both service points and having their second serve hit the net cord and bounced wide. The match ended in a draw with a one-point difference, and Austria won 3-0.
As a “dead rubber”, Miedler returned to the court to face Michael Agwi, who lost three set points in singles against Dominic Thiem yesterday. With one set all, the match was decided by a 10-point tie-break. Agwi led 8-3, but Miedler scored seven consecutive points and the struggling Agwi lost again.
Nevertheless, it’s a promising start to 2024 for the 20-year-old, and his overall level of play here should give him confidence to move up the rankings.
This defeat means Ireland will be operating in World Group II, but barring the result, Irish tennis still sees a number of positives from an ambitious fixture at the UL Arena and a performance that exceeded the most optimistic expectations. will get.
Yesterday, the strong Austrian team led 2-0.