German tennis player Jan-Lennard Struff, currently ranked 98th in the world, expressed high praise for the organization of the ATP 250 tournament in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
“This is an amazing tournament for me. It`s my first time in Kazakhstan, in Almaty. First and foremost, I want to highlight the fantastic views, the stunning hotel, the excellent food, and the wonderful facilities. The mountain views are simply indescribable. Judging by the trees, it`s already autumn here, but the sun is still shining brightly during the day, even though it`s cold.”
“The courts themselves are great too. I haven`t seen the main arena yet; I`ve only played on Court 1. I need to prepare for tomorrow. But the food here is also excellent, and everyone is very friendly. It`s truly a fantastic tournament.”
Challenging Victory Over Mackenzie McDonald
Struff also commented on his hard-fought opening-round victory against American Mackenzie McDonald, which he won with a score of 2/6, 6/3, 6/4.
“It was a tough match. I played against Mackie in the first round of the US Open, and that was a very hard-fought battle. I managed to win that one, and I won again today. He played a Challenger last week and reached the final, so I had a bit more time to prepare here, in these conditions, at altitude. However, I felt he was playing very well, with a lot of confidence from last week. I felt he was playing amazingly, and it truly was a very difficult match.”
“I was very pleased that I could come back from 2-6 in the first set and save three break points in the first game of the next set,” he added. “I managed to find a good rhythm. My first-serve percentage was high today, which was crucial here at altitude.”
Anticipating Match Against Karen Khachanov
Looking ahead, Struff shared his thoughts on his upcoming second-round encounter with world No. 10, Russian Karen Khachanov.
“Karen is an incredible player, I believe. He`s also the defending champion. It`s going to be a tough match; I know I`ll need to play some good tennis tomorrow. We`ve played a couple of times before, and they were very, very close, intense encounters. I know he`s a fantastic player, with a lot of energy and power in his game.”
“But I also have a lot of power in my game, so I don`t think there will be many slow shots,” he concluded. “I know it will be a very difficult match. I`ve played some good matches during the outdoor season, and I`ve already played one here, so hopefully, I can build on that success.”
Marcus Prine