21 July 2025

HawkEye

CAST OFF FOR A GLOBAL CAREER

Lois Boisson wins her first major title at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open

Lois Boisson doses her emotions very sparingly. The Frenchwoman is a model of coolness. But on Sunday afternoon, it finally burst out of her: a scream, a fist raised to the sky. And a grateful wave from all four stands at the Rothenbaum, from which she received thunderous applause. Lois Boisson had won the first major title of her career in Hamburg. She defeated the defending champion Anna Bondar 7:5 and 6:3 in a thrilling final and was rewarded with a prize money of 31,565 euros - and an Explora cruise voucher. So from Hamburg, cast off for a great career!
 

"For me, Lois is a player who has the potential to break into the top 10 of the world rankings," says tournament ambassador Andrea Petkovic. The trend is right: Boisson has now jumped from 361st to 44th place in the space of a year.

 
 

The Boisson triumph continues a series. Since the tournament was revived in Germany's largest clay court stadium in 2021, there has been a new title winner every year. "I'm very happy that I was able to win here," said Boisson. At the start of the match, it certainly didn't look like a success for the French Open semi-finalist.

Anna Bondar got off to a much better start, leading 4:0 after 15 minutes. "I didn't feel comfortable at the beginning and had to change something," said Boisson. She managed to do that: more variations, more hardness and length in her shots. And so she turned round a set that seemed lost. She levelled the score at 5:5 and went on to win 7:5.

Anna Bondar

Both opponents were not afraid to take risks and continued to play attacking tennis. But Bondar was unable to return to her dominant role of the opening phase. And so Lois Boisson triumphed 6:3.

"Lois is a fantastic player," Bondar congratulated her fairly. Afterwards, a few tears ran down her cheeks. It had been an emotionally upsetting week at the tournament for the Hungarian. And she had to refocus quickly: Because Bondar - alongside Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) - also had to defend her title in the doubles. That also failed. Both lost to the Ukrainian-Japanese pairing of Nadiia Kichenok/Makoto Ninomiya 4:6 and 6:3 and 9:11 in the match tie-break - in which they missed two match points.

Lois Boisson

Match Highlights

BOISSON 

VS.

BONDAR 

Quote

LOIS BOISSON

BEST OF

MSC FAMILY DAY

That was a very special final day! Let the best pictures of the day and the emotions sink in once again:

DOUBLE

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to Nadiia Kichenok and Makoto Ninomiya, who secured the doubles title of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open 2025!
In a thrilling final, the Ukrainian-Japanese duo faced Arantxa Rus and Anna Bondar - the latter had also played in the singles final just a short time earlier. After an intense exchange of blows and a nerve-wracking Champions tie-break, Kichenok and Ninomiya won the final 6:4, 3:6 and 11:9.

For Nadiia Kichenok, winning the title was also the perfect birthday present - and an unforgettable end to a strong week at the tournament.

Andrea Petkovic, Nadiia Kichenok, Makoto Ninomiya and Sandra Reichel

BEST OF

MSC HAMBURG LADIES OPEN

GROWTH

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE YOUNGEST

The MSC Hamburg Ladies Open 2025 not only stood for world-class women's tennis, but also for the committed promotion of young talent. MatchMaker Sports GmbH and its partners supported the tennis stars of tomorrow with events such as the ECE Kids Camp, Children for Champions, the Asklepios taster session and the Mini Cup by MSC. As part of the school campaign, pupils experience world-class tennis up close - including meet & greets and press conferences with the tennis stars. Who knows, maybe a young star will be on centre court in a few years' time?

EXHIBITION MATCH

Showtime before the grand finale

Before the centre court was prepared for the final match between French newcomer Lois Boisson and defending champion Anna Bondar, the stadium at the Rothenbaum was heated up once again. At 12.00 noon there was a special highlight: an exhibition match between former US Open champion Dominic Thiem and Hamburg's tennis icon Tommy Haas.

The two former world-class players delivered an entertaining duel at the highest level. Haas clearly felt comfortable in front of his home crowd and won the match 6:2, 6:4. The DJ provided the perfect soundtrack and created a great atmosphere in the stands. A perfect start to the final day. 

Tommy Haas said after the match: "It was really special to play here in my living room in Hamburg - with fans cheering you on. Especially with someone like Domi Thiem on the court, who I'm a big fan of myself - both of his game and his personality. It's just really fun."

OUR TEAM

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 want to say goodbye to you, dear readers!

MEDIA TEAM

Tasks

Finally, we introduce you to the media team. Whether it's a press release, Instagram post or press conference: the media team ensures that the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open comes alive across all channels.

Our tasks include looking after journalists, writing all kinds of press releases and coordinating press events. We liaise with TV teams and sponsors and develop content for social media channels. Whether classic or digital - we bring the emotions of the Rothenbaum to tennis fans big and small - in Hamburg and far beyond.

Robert, Hannah, Dietmar, Leo, (below) Chrissi, Julia, Ulli, Merle

Anecdotes

In his very first year in Hamburg (2021), Ulli hosted the draw. But with so much hustle and bustle around players, officials and partners, it can happen that two players are accidentally mixed up during the presentation. Fortunately, the mix-up was handled with a smile and a sense of humour - after all, a bit of stage chaos is sometimes simply part of live events.

And what makes it special?

Ulli: "The best moment is when it's over! Not because it's not fun! On the contrary! After match point, everyone comes together to take a team photo at centre court. It's incredibly nice to see so many different people giving their all together for one week for one cause."

Julia: "What makes our team so special is the team spirit - we understand each other blindly and help each other out. Through my role in the media team and writing the Hawkeye with Chrissi, I can convey this feeling to the outside world."

Chrissi: "The tournament week is like coming home every year."

Dietmar: "Team work makes the dream work."

Hannah (Social Media): "This job allows me to combine my two passions: Tennis and turning creative content into videos and reels."

Robert (social media): "The whole week was like a tennis match. There were ups and downs, but in the end it was a victory for the team."

PARTNER

Your wishes - intuitively fulfilled with Explora Journeys

On board Explora Journeys, our hosts take care of every detail with warm hospitality - whether in your suite, in the restaurant, in the spa and fitness classes or in the elegant boutiques. Unobtrusive, attentive and personalised, they ensure that you feel completely at ease and go the extra mile for you.

GROWTH

MINI CUP BY MSC

Fun and games for the youngest! The new Mini Cup Series North 2025 presented by MSC has been running since May 2025 and this weekend it also made a stop at Hamburg's Rothenbaum. The young talents in the U7, U8, U9 and U10 age groups were able to serve right next to the stars. The Mini Cup is organised by L2A Tennisturniere GbR, MatchMaker Sports GmbH and the Hamburg Tennis Association.

INCLUSION

TENNIS FOR ALL

In addition to world-class women's tennis, inclusion is a central pillar of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open. Together with the Alexander Otto Sports Foundation and applicants for the Werner Otto Prize, tennis was actively experienced with numerous hands-on activities. The Special Olympics were also guests and were inspired by the unique tournament atmosphere.

Chrissi & Julia

HAWKEYE

NoCH a little look behind the scenes

We - Chrissi and Julia - are the voices behind the Hawkeye and have provided you with news, anecdotes and stories about the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open over the past few days. It was a great pleasure for us to accompany this tournament editorially and to bring you a piece of Rothenbaum home every day.

Thank you for your attention, your interest and your trust. We look forward to seeing you again next year - when it's time for the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open!

Anecdotes

As we act as contact persons for journalists and are part of the organisation team, we are the "yellow pages" of the team, so to speak. Whether it's questions such as "When does the bus leave?", "Why are there only chips but no currywurst?" or "Do you know where the refrigerated container is?" - we (usually) have an answer ready. And if time is tight, we occasionally provide information for the announcer's booth. 

PARTNERS & SPONSORS

STRONG SUPPORT

STRONG ALONE

UNSTOPPABLE TOGETHER

Many thanks to every single person who was part of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open 2025! Without you, the tournament would not be what it is! 

PROGRAMME EDITORIAL

Have you read it yet?

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? Click on the button to access the online version of our programme.