Gaubas victorious once more in Madrid's decisive round against Ofner

Sebastian Ofner, the 28-year-old Austrian tennis player, has seen his recent performance on the Challenger circuit improve significantly, reaching the quarterfinals in several tournaments. However, his latest tournament, the Madrid Tennis Challenger, ended in the round of 16 following a best-of-three set encounter with Lithuanian player Vilius Gaubas.

Gaubas, ranked around 144-163 ATP in 2025, has been a consistent challenge for Ofner in recent tournaments. The top-seeded Gaubas, who recently participated in Challenger-level tournaments but has not won any major titles in the last weeks, emerged victorious in the round of 16 match against Ofner.

Ofner started the match well, taking the first set 6:4. However, Gaubas fought back, winning the second set 3:6. The third set was a tight affair, with Gaubas clinching the win 3:6, eliminating Ofner from the tournament.

This was not the first time Gaubas had defeated Ofner. In a previous Challenger tournament in Spain, Gaubas also eliminated Ofner in the quarterfinals. The tournament where Ofner and Gaubas last met was on Menorca.

Ofner has been playing in his fourth consecutive tournament following two heel surgeries. Despite the setbacks, he has been playing tennis professionally and has been making a mark on the Challenger circuit.

Vilius Gaubas, on the other hand, has had mixed recent results. He lost the 2025 Roma Garden Open final to Matteo Gigante but has also had some success in Davis Cup matches and other tournaments.

The Madrid Tennis Challenger will undoubtedly be a learning experience for Ofner as he continues to recover from his surgeries and compete on the Challenger circuit. Gaubas, meanwhile, will look to build on his recent success and continue his climb up the ATP rankings.