Laura Mair will enter the tournament in Val Gardena on Tuesday.

Local hero Mair faces difficult test

Tuesday promises to be a very exciting day at the Raiffeisen ITF Val Gardena Südtirol. The tournament is reaching a phase in which the wheat is finally being separated from the chaff.

25 November 2024

From: pm

For local tennis fans, the highlight of the day is the main draw debut of South Tyrolean Laura Mair (WTA 804). But the 21-year-old, who is playing for the host TC Gherdeina, faces a real challenge: Angelica Sara, the 15-year-old exceptional talent from Italy, is already considered a rising star on the scene. With a place among the top 100 in the world in her year, Sara is a name that promises great things for the future.

For Mair, whose father Ingo is president of TC Gherdeina, the match comes after a difficult phase: shoulder problems and a lack of match practice have characterized her recent weeks. Nevertheless, the local hero should not be written off. With her experience and a strong forehand, she could prevail in this generational duel. The match is scheduled as the fifth match on Court 1, directly after an equally high-caliber program start at 9.30 a.m.

The opening match on Court 1 is already an eye-catcher: Urszula Radwanska from Poland, younger sister of the former number 2 in the world, Agnieszka Radwanska, opens the tournament day. This is followed by a match between two future hopes: Tyra Grant, the 16-year-old US talent from the Piatti Academy, meets the tall Italian Vittoria Paganetti, who shone with impressive power in the qualification.

Von Deichmann one round further

In the evening, the program will be rounded off with a bang: Croatian Lea Boškovic (WTA 185), number two in the tournament, will be joining. Silvia Ambrosio from Serie A1 semi-finalist TC Rungg will also be making her debut in Selva. Tournament favorite Kathinka von Deichmann (WTA 172) had already underlined her ambitions on Monday with a win against the tough Brazilian Gabriela Ce. In an intense duel, she won 6:4, 6:3 after more than two hours. Canadian Stacey Fung (WTA 253) had less trouble, defeating Iva Primorac 54:6, 0:6 in just 3 minutes.