Winning at home is simply the most beautiful thing! Tamara Korpatsch is once again showing her very best side on her home turf and has reached the quarter-finals at Rothenbaum for the second time, after 2024. The 31-year-old from Hamburg won the all-German round of 16 at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open 2026 against Julia Stusek from Rheinfelden after just over two hours, with a score of 6-0, 3-6, and 6-3. In doing so, she sent herself and the tennis fans on Centre Court on an emotional rollercoaster.
„The first set was outstanding, I probably played my best tennis. In the second set Julia played significantly better and I made a few more mistakes. It wasn't easy, especially because she moved so well. She really has quick feet. Playing a quarter-final at home is fantastic. I'm not playing with as much pressure here and can really enjoy it,“ said Korpatsch, who will meet second seed Anhelina Kalinina from Ukraine in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Noma Noha Akugue from Glinde, however, narrowly missed out. The North German lost to Hungarian Anna Bondar, just as she had done the previous year. She had been on a really good path against the previous year's finalist. Noha Akugue was not only serving for the match during the intense „Night Session“ at Rothenbaum but was also just two points away from victory. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old narrowly lost in the end with 1:6, 7:5 and 5:7. „We played against each other last year. I won 7:6 in the third set against her then, and today 7:5. I hope I can continue like this, of course,“ said Bondar, who will play against surprise quarter-finalist Alina Charaeva on Friday. The Armenian battled past Sinja Kraus from Austria after almost three hours and several rain interruptions with 5:7, 7:5 and 7:5. As the third German to be eliminated in Hamburg on Wednesday was Tessa Brockmann from Schleswig-Holstein. In her first main draw match at a WTA 250 tournament, she lost to the Frenchwoman Elsa Jacquemot with 5:7, 1:6.
Meanwhile, former world number two Paula Badosa celebrated a successful Hamburg debut. Two days after having to retire due to illness in the final of Iasi against Mayar Sherif, she defeated Poland's Katarzyna Kawa 7-5, 6-4. She will face Panna Udvary in the round of 16 as early as Thursday. The top seed Oleksandra Oliynykova will then have to contend with Leyre Romero Gormaz from Spain. In addition, Tamara Korpatsch, Noma Noha Akugue, Julia Stusek and Nastasja Schunk will still be active in the doubles on Court M2 on Thursday.
Kick-off for the Hamburg Wheelchair Open
On Thursday at 10:30 AM, the official starting gun will be fired on Match Court M1 for the Hamburg Wheelchair Open, Germany's largest women's wheelchair tennis tournament. Among the world-class field of participants, for which only players from the Top 25 in the world rankings have qualified, German champion Britta Wend and wildcard player Katharina Krüger will also be representing local talent. Wend will face Lucy Shuker from Great Britain in her opening match, no earlier than 1:30 PM. Afterwards, Katharina Krüger will compete against Jinte Bos from the Netherlands.
The top seed is world number four Aniek van Koot, who, like her compatriot Lizzy de Greef, Ksenia Chasteau from France and China's Zhenzhen Zhu, has received a bye in the first round.