Will there finally be a home win at Hamburg's Rothenbaum? On Sunday, Hamburg native Tamara Korpatsch will be going for the title at the WTA 250 tournament MSC Hamburg Ladies Open at Rothenbaum. The 31-year-old will face Anna Bondar from Hungary at 2 p.m., who is in the final in Hamburg for the third time in a row.
Tamara Korpatsch has now become the first German woman to reach the final since Noma Noha Akugue three years ago. Tournament ambassador Andrea Petkovic also reached the final in 2021. The last German winner was Steffi Graf in 1992. In the semi-final, the Hanseatic player benefited from an injury-related retirement by Mayar Sherif at a score of 6-1, 2-0. The Egyptian, with 13 consecutive wins, had run out of steam and could not oppose the Hamburg player, who was playing furiously.
„Of course, I would have liked to have finished the match. I think I played well and, above all, very bravely. I'm really, really happy with my performance,“ Korpatsch said after reaching the final, where the great support of the fans naturally also helped enormously. „Thank you very much to all the fans, especially to my small fan block over there in the corner. I feel comfortable here. I can play just like I do in training. Before the final, I'm just going to do everything the same way I've done all week. I've also got all my lucky charms together. And I'll eat my pasta bolognese again,“ the Hamburg native revealed an insight into her rituals. Korpatsch had celebrated her only WTA tournament victory to date in Cluj, Romania, in 2023.
For Anna Bondar, a final triumph in Hamburg would be nothing short of the greatest success of her career to date. Last year, the Hungarian lost in the Rothenbaum final to France's Lois Boisson, but in 2024 she secured the title in both singles and doubles at the WTA 125 tournament. In total, she has thus won a remarkable 13 of her previous 14 matches at Rothenbaum. For a „final hat-trick,“ Bondar had to toil in the Hamburg sand for around three and a half hours in the semi-finals. Against qualifier Elina Avanesyan from Armenia, the 29-year-old saved four set points in the first set and, in the third set, even three match points. In the end, the „Hamburg lover“ triumphed 7:6, 4:6, 7:6.
„I honestly have no idea how I managed to win this match. I just kept at it and tried to play point by point. The atmosphere and the fans helped me so much. This is such a special place for me,“ Anna Bondar gushed. Like Korpatsch, she will also stick to her routines. „For breakfast, I always have an omelette with oatmeal,“ revealed the Hungarian regarding her favourite meal of this tournament week. Korpatsch, incidentally, doesn't think Bondar's intense match from Saturday will be an advantage for her. „I don't think so at all. I know those kinds of situations. You get a lot of energy from them. Besides, I know she's a very fit player,“ reported the local favourite, who has won all four previous matches between them. At Rothenbaum, everything is set for a great final!