Austrian Filip Misolic wins Ellesse Pro Tennis Challenge; Antietam tennis teams receive donation

Aug. 19—Filip Misolic won the 2023 Ellesse Pro Tennis Challenge Saturday afternoon at the Emkey Tennis Garden in Wyomissing, defeating Michael Zheng 7-5, 6-4.

"It feels amazing," said Misolic, who is from Graz, Austria. "Of course, for every player, if it's a competition you go for the title. I'm very happy with my performance and hopefully will keep it going in the U.S Open."

In the semifinals, Misolic defeated Holden Koons 6-2, 6-1 and Zheng, who is from Montville, N.J., beat Ryan Harrison 3-0, retired.

In the final, Misolic trailed 4-1 in the second set, but made key adjustments mentally and mechanically to win five straight games and seal it.

"I think I mentally I dropped a little bit in the beginning," Misolic said. "I lost my service pretty easily and he used it, but hopefully I could come back and fight forward and finish my serves."

Misolic is ranked 163rd on the ATP Tour and has an ATP career-high ranking of 126th. Joining him in competition from Austria was Max Neuchrist, who ranked 230th on the ATP tour with a career high of 135th.

Cultural heritage helped bring the Austrians to the Ellesse Pro Tennis Challenge as event director Ryan Knarr, also the tennis coach at Conrad Weiser, was able to use his international connections to recruit the two.

With Austrian roots in his family and having played in the country as a junior player, Knarr developed a friendship with coach and former player Gerald Mandl while training with him in Salzburg. Knarr returns to Austria, what he considers at home away from home, every summer to help Mandl run the Salzburg Open, which led to the recruitment of Misolic and Neuchrist.

"When I was a junior player, I would go to Gerald and his academy in Salzburg," Knarr said. "And I would be there in the summers with him at his facility, and it's just been a 20-year friendship.

"My family is originally from Austria. My grandmother came from Salzburg; she's 95 years old. During World War II, she married my grandfather, who was an American G.I., and I've really grown up not only in America, but going to Austria almost every summer. I've been fortunate to meet some wonderful people. Mandl, he runs the tournament for the Salzburg Open. I've worked at his press event in Salzburg and through that and being over there every summer, it's been a great opportunity to make a lot of connections with Austria, which is really my second home."

Though Gerald could not attend the event, his daughter, Sophie Mandl, was in attendance for the weekend. With experience helping run the Salzburg Open, Sophie said she enjoyed the unique intimacy and serenity of the Emkey Tennis Garden.

"It's smaller and I like it," Sophie Mandl said. "Everybody knows each other, everybody is nice to each other. I really enjoy the atmosphere here and the yard and the scenery; it's really good."

For Misolic, the tournament and festivities were worthwhile because he was able to help a worthy cause that supported the Antietam tennis teams and the City of Reading Tennis Program (COR), while also representing his home country well ahead of the U.S. Open.

"Every time I can help a great cause, I will be there and will help as much as I can," Misolic said. "For me, it gives a very nice feeling to help. I think it's a good opportunity to have preparation for the U.S. Open and then get the good feeling of having fun with all the players and people here this week.

"And, of course, to represent Austria, that's a privilege for me and it doesn't matter where I play. I love to play for Austria."

The event raised $2,500 for the Mounts, which lost its courts and equipment in severe flooding last month, through donations and efforts by the Aces for Antietam program, Tweener Lighting and COR. Tournament proceeds also will fund 16 full scholarships for COR athletes to play tennis year-round in Reading.

On Thursday, members of the Mounts tennis teams were surprised with an equipment donation from Diadem Sports that included tennis balls, bags and other essentials..

In addition, Knarr announced that he and the Conrad Weiser tennis program will be taking the Antietam teams to the U.S Open with the Scouts to further uplift the Mounts' spirits.

"Our program at Connor Weiser is blessed every year to go on a bus trip to the U.S. Open and take our kids up there during qualifying week next week," Knarr said. "And I really wanted to, in addition to the pro event, do something for (Antietam coach) Bill (McClain) and his girls to give them a moment and a day that they'd never forget.

"Tennis is a sport that is about serving and giving. It's about using tennis as a platform to help others, and this is an opportunity for us to take a very unfortunate situation and do some good to help out Antietam and help out their program because they're never going to have a senior night. They're never gonna have a home match this year, but we can try to do some things to help ease that and give them the opportunity to have a memorable season in more ways than one."

Sunday's event

New Zealand pro KP Pannu and Koons will travel to Schuylkill County, for Sunday's King of Clay Pro Tennis Challenge at the Abel Tennis Center, 1190 Red Dale Road, Orwigsburg.

The event begins at noon.

In addition to the match between Pannu and Koons, there will be a junior exhibition. Conrad Weiser's Emma Perkins and Anthony Perkins, the second-ranked junior player in the Class of 2030, will take on Conrad Weiser grad and Albright's Alex Pancu and Nile Abadir, the 2021 PIAA Class 2A singles champ from Lancaster Country Day.