World-class tennis in Meerbusch: Alexander Erler defeats ATP Young Gun Arthur Cazaux

The match point was the most fiercely contested and highest-class of the already top-level final of the Just Pools Kirschbaum International 2021 at the TeReMeer in Meerbusch. Arthur Cazaux (18), the French Australian Open Junior finalist from 2020, pushed his conqueror Alexander Erler (AUT, 23) to the limit; both collapsed onto their benches completely exhausted after Erler's 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory.

"It was an insane match at ATP Tour level," enthused organizer Marc Raffel afterwards.

"Small details decided the final; I'll analyze everything with my coach today," said a likeable runner-up Arthur Cazaux after the final. "Now the ATP Challenger tour begins for me," said an overjoyed champion Alexander Erler, who, with his tournament victory at the Just Pools Kirschbaum International, is knocking on the door of the top 350 in the ATP world rankings. We'll also be hearing more from his French opponent in the final, Arthur Cazaux. "He truly has a lot of talent and will go far," said Raffel.

Tennis - Professional hygiene concept, no positive corona cases - Just Pools Kirschbaum International is a positive model example

Of course, even our politicians are uncertain at the moment. That's the only way to explain why tennis has repeatedly been included in lockdown measures. Even though everyone knows that tennis is in no way susceptible to the spread of COVID-19. As Dieter Nuhr would say: You'd have to jump over the net and stick your tongue down your opponent's throat... All joking aside.

Incidence = 0

At the Just Pools Kirschbaum International, a men's professional tournament on the ITF World Tennis Tour held in Meerbusch in mid-April 2021, with a total of nearly 100 participants from European countries and a limited support and organizational staff, a hygiene concept developed in cooperation with the German Tennis Federation was implemented with completely successful results. Negative PCR tests, regular rapid tests, cleaning and hygiene measures, and the consistent adherence to the basic hygiene rules (AHA rules) and digital registration and management of all participants prevented not a single positive case; incidence rate = 0.

Perhaps this positive result will help representatives of the sport of tennis and politicians in their struggle to make the right decisions during the current coronavirus pandemic to find the right path. The organizer's excellent hygiene concept will certainly ensure that the next tournament, the TVM Open 2021 at RW Troisdorf , takes place from May 10th to 16th, 2021 .