While things are not going according to plan for Dominic Thiem on the ATP tour, the next best Austrians in the ranking are getting closer to him. With Sebastian Ofner and Jurij Rodionov, two ÖTV Davis Cup players each reached a Challenger final on Saturday.
Ofner defeated Flavio Cobolli (ITA/5) 7:5 7:5 at the EUR 73,000 clay court tournament in Zadar (Croatia) and will meet his compatriot Alessandro Giannessi on Sunday. Rodionov won the 118,000 euro hard court tournament in Biel (Switzerland) against Benjamin Hassan (LIB) 6:3 7:5 and now faces Liam Broady (GBR).
Ofner thus improves on Monday to at least 121st place, Rodionov to around 135th place. If Ofner wins the title, he is only eight points behind Thiem, who is in 109th place. Rodionov could advance to 125th place.