Ofner loses in Kitzbühel again in the first round against Molcan

A bumpy start

The meeting also had a particular backstory for Ofner: Three years ago, he had already faced Molcan in Kitzbühel and was leading 6:4, 5:0 with two match points before letting the match slip away, losing 6:4, 5:7, 6:7. Ofner openly admitted after the new defeat that this memory weighed on him.

"Natürlich hab ich dieses Match im Kopf", Ofner said with a view to the bitter experience of 2023. After the new first-round defeat, the 28-year-old looked at a loss to explain his form and spoke of a difficult phase in his career.

Memories of the 2023 drama

"Es ist zach im Moment. Ich brauch noch ein paar Matches, bis ich wieder das Vertrauen in mein Spiel krieg." With these words, Ofner summed up his current condition and made clear that, after a series of disappointments, he currently lacks the self-confidence to deliver his full performance.

With the defeat against Molcan, a negative streak also continued for Ofner in Kitzbühel: It was his fourth consecutive first-round loss at his home tournament in the Gamsstadt. In recent years, the Styrian had already fallen at the opening hurdle each time and has so far been unable to convert his home advantage into points.

Only Rodionov left in singles

In the Kitzbühel ATP tournament draw, only one ÖTV player remains in singles after Ofner's elimination. Jurij Rodionov is the last Austrian standing in the round of the last 16, scheduled for Wednesday. In total, four Austrian players had entered the main draw.

A small bright spot for the Austrian camp came from the doubles event: Joel Schwärzler and Lukas Neumayer defeated the Brazilian-Australian duo Fernando Romboli and John-Patrick Smith 6:4, 7:5 and advanced to the next round. Schwärzler had at least reached the doubles final in Kitzbühel last year.

Search for self-confidence

The defeat raises questions about Ofner's path back to the road to success. Ranked 124th in the world, the Austrian says he needs several matches to gradually rebuild his lost self-confidence. The coming weeks will show whether the step back on track succeeds.

The constellation between Ofner and Molcan thus remains clear even after the third direct meeting: After the dramatic defeat three years ago and this year's encounter, the Slovak has now won both matches in Kitzbühel, with Ofner unable to claim a set.