It was a dream week for Rudolf Molleker on home soil in Heilbronn. The German teen capped a fairytale run on the clay of the Heilbronner Neckarcup, claiming his maiden title in what was just his third ATP Challenger Tour appearance and first of the year. At 17 years and six months, Molleker demonstrated maturity far beyond his age to secure his first professional trophy, rallying from a set down on three occasions during the week. Upset wins over fourth seed Yannick Hanfmann in the second round, recent Mexico City champion Juan Ignacio Londero in the semi-finals and second seed Jiri Vesely in the final gave the teen a well-deserved title. An unseeded wild card, Molleker entered the week at...
Prior to this week, 17-year-old Rudolf Molleker had never won a match on the ATP Challenger Tour. But now, the German youngster, appearing in just his third main draw at the Challenger level, has become the youngest finalist of 2018. At 17 years, seven months, he is the talk of the tournament in Heilbronn. Expected to rise almost 100 places into the Top 400 of the ATP Rankings on Monday, Molleker defeated back-to-back seeded opponents to reach the semi-finals at the Heilbronner Neckarcup, where he overcame Argentina's Juan Ignacio Londero from a set down on Saturday. The German upset fourth-seeded countryman Yannick Hanfmann and seventh seed Alexey Vatutin, also in three sets, to make headlines at the ATP Challenger Tour’s...
Watch as 17-year-old German Rudolf Molleker thrills the home crowd at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Heilbronn, claiming a wild point en route to the quarter-finals.
