After a break of two decades, Hamburg's Rothenbaum has once again hosted a top-class WTA tournament in 2021. The return of women's tennis to the Hanseatic city has provided numerous thrilling matches and surprises in recent years. And never in the past four years has the respective winner managed to defend the title or win a second time. So far, there have been four different winners: Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Bernarda Pera, Arantxa Rus and Anna Bondar.
Yesterday, Wednesday, Rus lost (2:6, 2:6 against Leyre Romero Gormaz). But Anna Bondar, the Hungarian defending champion, still has the chance to repeat her 2024 triumph. She will face Austria's Sinja Kraus.
A total of four eighth finals will be played today at the Rothenbaum. And to crown it all, one with German participation!
Then Caroline Werner, who fought her way impressively through qualifying and the first round, will challenge the number one seed in the tournament: Ekaterina Alexandrova. She defeated Dutch qualifier Eva Vedder 6:0 and 6:3 with cool aplomb on Wednesday. Can Werner do more to counter her? That will be the big question in the Rothenbaum.
The Ukrainian second seed Dayana Yastremska was just as convincing as Alexandrova against Jule Niemeier yesterday, winning 6:4 and 6:3. She is now also clearly the favourite against Australian Diane Parry today.
An open match is expected between Astra Sharma (Australia) and Viktoriya Tomova (Bulgaria). Tomova was - once again - the spoiler for Tatjana Maria yesterday, Wednesday. In the fourth match against each other, Tomova won for the fourth time, now 6:3 and 7:6. "I had my chances, but I didn't take them," Maria reflected frankly, admitting that "I would have liked to have stayed here longer. It's a nice tournament, I'll be back next year.
YASTREMSKA
VS.
NIEMEIER
Age: 30
Born in: Chelyabinsk, Russia
World ranking position: 16
Greatest success: Victory at the WTA 500 tournament in Linz (2025)
Age: 29
Born in: Karlsruhe, Germany
World ranking position: 303
Greatest success: Entry into the main field of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open (2025)
Caroline Werner is our surprise in the round of 16 of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open! She's been back on the tour for a year - and so that you, dear spectators, can cheer her on today against Ekaterina Alexandrova, we've got some information for you:
The 29-year-old was born in Karlsruhe. Before returning to the tour, she took a four-year break from professional tennis for health reasons. She used the time wisely - and completed her bachelor's degree in sports management.
And now to the surprising parallels with the tournament - and with our tournament ambassador Andrea Petkovic.
Because what the two have in common is Darmstadt. Petkovic's birthplace was the place where Werner once celebrated her very first tournament victory.
Her first ITF title? Werner won it against none other than Elena-Gabriela Ruse - who sensationally marched through from qualifying to the title here at the Rothenbaum in 2021. She beat Andrea Petkovic in the final!
The next big challenge awaits Werner tonight: in the round of 16 she will face the tournament's number one, Ekaterina Alexandrova.
So: Fingers crossed for the next Werner miracle!
Immerse yourself in the "Ocean State of Mind" - with a wellness experience that harmonises body and soul.
On board, you will find a wellness programme inspired by the sea: a 700 m² spa area with hydrotherapy pool and sauna, a 270 m² fitness area with state-of-the-art equipment as well as four pools and numerous outdoor whirlpools.
GALFI
VS.
SCHUNK
The Asklepios clinics have also been providing the medical team for the WTA 250 women's tennis tournament at Hamburg's Rothenbaum since this year, taking care of the players' health concerns. Pictured here: Dr El Mahamid, Joachim Gemmel (CEO at Asklepios), Tournament Director Sandra Reichel and Dr Ghazali.
It was an unforgettable experience for the youngsters: As part of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open 2025, Asklepios and tournament ambassador Andrea Petkovic invited girls and boys aged six to twelve to a very special training session yesterday. "Special guests were WTA players Dayana Yastremska and Tessa Brockmann.
Of course, the matches of the professionals could also be followed.
What a drama! Tamara Korpatsch really left it all on the court in her round of 16 match last night. The Hamburg-born player played some great tennis against Roland Garros semi-finalist Lois Boisson. But in the third round, her own body threw a spanner in the works: visibly shaken, she lost by the narrow margin of 4:6, 7:6, 4:6. She said afterwards: "I'm very sad about it because I've reached my previous level again - maybe I'm playing even better. I felt really good and had confidence on the court. So it's all the sadder that I lost today."
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From qualifying to the main draw - and straight into the hearts of young tennis fans: Caroline Werner was the star of the third student press conference at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open on Wednesday. She answered questions about leisure activities, training and everyday tournament life - and impressed the audience with her approachable manner. Afterwards, the Karlsruhe native took time for a meet & greet, during which she posed for souvenir photos with the children and young people.
Young tennis stars will be playing alongside the really big players from today. At the European Summer Cup, Europe's most traditional team competition in junior tennis, eight European nations will meet until Saturday to secure one of the coveted starting places for the European final in Mariánské Lázně (Czech Republic) - an important milestone on the way to the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors by Gainbridge Finals. Teams from Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia - and of course Germany - are also taking part. The European Summer Cup is kindly supported by Claus Heinemann as part of the Hamburg WTA tournament.
It starts at 9.30 am - the girls are looking forward to welcoming many fans!
A lot goes on behind the scenes at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open - thanks to a well-coordinated team. This week we introduce you to various teams who make a decisive contribution to the tournament being able to take place at all.
Today we continue with our Ballkinder team and volunteer team.
The team organises the ball kids and volunteers with great sensitivity. They keep track of what is happening on and off the pitch and always have an open ear - whether for questions, minor concerns or spontaneous challenges.
Because one thing is clear: without ball kids and volunteers, a tournament like this would simply not be possible. They are at the heart of the action.
Formerly on the pitch - today on the side
What many people don't realise: The joy of the job is no coincidence - many of the Ballkinder team leads used to play on the court themselves. They started out as ball kids, worked their way through various areas of the tournament over the years and are now back alongside the new generation as team leads.
Konrad:
"That we can give the children the opportunity to be up close to the action."
"Beautiful friendships develop and in the end it's like one big family."
The streaming service Tennis Channel will broadcast all matches live from the Rothenbaum via its platform (www.tennischannel.app). The centre court matches of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open 2025 are also available on Sky Germany live on TV and stream (the matches on the side courts including doubles can also be streamed).
DF1 will show the singles final and the exhibition match between Tommy Haas and Dominic Thiem.
Top sport for everyone! Today and tomorrow, all tennis fans can watch the matches on the M1 and M2 side courts free of charge. Ground tickets are available in the online ticket shop. Two tickets for adults and four tickets for children (under 18) can be purchased per order. We look forward to seeing you at the Rothenbaum!
Would you like to find out more about the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open and expand your knowledge of the tournament's top stars and young hopefuls? Then pick up a free copy at the Info-Point! Click on the button to access the online version of our programme.
Thursday is EDEKA Ladies Day!
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