Who will make it to the semi-finals of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open? The number one? The number two? The new French star? Tatjana Maria's opponent of fear? Questions upon questions. Tomorrow, Friday, the impressive centre court at Hamburg's Rothenbaum will be the stage for answers. Because it's the home straight at the tradition-steeped Rothenbaum.
In the round of 16 on Thursday, the favourites showed no signs of slowing down. Ekaterina Alexandrova, seeded number one in Hamburg and world number 16, reached the quarter-finals with an unchallenged 6:2, 6:2 victory over the last remaining German player in the tournament, Caroline Werner from Karlsruhe.
Like Aleksandrova, the number two seed, Dayana Yastremska (Ukraine), also remains without a set loss in Hamburg. The Frenchwoman Diane Parry had practically no chance in her 6:1 and 6:4 win. When things got a little tighter, Yastremska simply shifted up a gear and will now play her quarter-final against Dalma Galfi (Hungary) as the clear favourite.
Defending champion Anna Bondar (Hungary) was only slightly challenged by Sinja Kraus (Austria) in her round of 16 match (6:3, 6:2). But now Bondar has what is supposed to be the highest hurdle ahead of her: she will be up against Alexandrova. Werner gave everything she had against her to make the most of her underdog role. In the end, she clearly lost, but her spirited performance was highly respectable and was honoured with applause from the audience. And Werner herself was also absolutely delighted with her performance: "That was a great week for me, it was the best result of my career." Werner had never before played against such a highly ranked opponent as Alexandrova.
Many eyes will be on Lois Boisson in the quarter-finals on Friday. The 22-year-old Frenchwoman is steadily playing her way into the spotlight. She now faces the woman who defeated Germany's number one Tatjana Maria for the fourth time in a row on Wednesday: Viktoriya Tomova (Bulgaria). She had clearly dominated Australian Astra Sharma in the round of 16: 6:1, 6:1.
It will be a top tennis day at the Rothenbaum!
Lois Boisson will take centre stage on Friday. This is new territory since the French Open this year. There, the Dijon-born right-hander reached the semi-finals by complete surprise. She lost to the eventual winner Coco Gauff ("Coco was too good for me"). But Lois Boisson has been a star ever since.
A star with a soft voice, often with a serious look. But when she relaxes this seriousness with a smile, then what you can't learn unfolds: Charisma.
The duel for the semi-final ticket between Leyre Romero Gormaz (Spain) and Kaja Juvan (Slovenia) seems to be open.
As open as the entire race to answer the central question: Who will win the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open 2025?