Oscar Otte entered 2017 having not won a main draw match at an ATP Challenger Tour event, but the German continued his rapid rise up the Emirates ATP Rankings with his first Challenger title last week at the Lisboa Belem Open in Lisbon, Portugal. “It was really difficult to play that final, so I’m happy I could make it through. It was an amazing week for me,” said Otte. “I was a little bit tougher in the head and also physically. I tried to keep the rallies quick because I used a lot of energy in the matches that week, so it was a good tactic. “You never think you can win the title at the start of the week....
Before March, Oscar Otte had never won a singles match on the ATP Challenger Tour in six previous attempts. A victory over Edward Corrie at the Open Harmonie Mutuelle last month laid the foundations for a stunning run this week at the $125,000 event in Qingdao, China. Otte, currently No. 367 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, qualified for the main draw in Qingdao, and has since won three matches to the loss of just four games to advance into a maiden ATP Challenger Tour semi-final. He defeated local wild card Aoxiong Wang 6-1, 6-0, followed by a 6-1, 6-1 win over rising Australian teenager Alex De Minaur, before a 6-0, 6-1 victory over China's Di Wu. “I’ve managed to get...