Johan Nikles (ATP 294) is the only Swiss player still in the running in the qualifying rounds of the Gonet Geneva Open. Playing on home soil, the Geneva local sealed a 6-3 6-3 victory over Peter Gojowczyk (ATP 99), who was runner-up in the tournament in 2018, in the first win of his career against a player ranked in the ATP Top 100.
The German, who reached the fourth round in the most recent US Open, was caught off guard by the Swiss player’s flair. Though his opponent was coming back from injury, Johan Nikles clinched a convincing win that confirmed his impressive form over the last few months. All he needs to do now is repeat the performance on Sunday against Lukas Rosol (ATP 249). The Swiss lost the only match he previously played against the 36-year-old Czech player, in the fourth round of the Amersfoort Challenger last July (6-2 6-1). But Johan Nikles has made great progress over the last ten months.
Though Jakub Paul (ATP 461) and Damien Wenger (ATP 462) both conceded predictable defeats against Lukas Rosol and Pablo Cuevas (ATP 128), respectively, Henri Laaksonen (ATP 97), who seemed physically weaker than usual, suffered an unexpected 6-4 6-3 loss against Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan (ATP 327).
