Some spectators pulled out their mobile phones and switched to video mode. Because it's even worth watching just to watch them train. Lois Boisson. Powerful, concentrated, focussed. The French semi-finalist at the French Open is the attraction at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open at Hamburg's Rothenbaum. Today, Friday, she will face Viktoriya Tomova, the conqueror of the German number one Tatjana Maria, in the quarter-finals.
In the other quarter-finals, defending champion Anna Bondar will face top seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, second seed Dayana Yastremska will play Dalma Galfi and Leyre Romero Gormaz will play Kaja Juvan. But back to Lois Boisson. From the shadows into the light. The 22-year-old's rise has the makings of a tennis fairytale. She was largely unknown and ranked 361st in the world rankings when she was given a wild card to take part in the French Open. There she surprisingly made it all the way to the semi-finals. "Then Coco Gauff was too strong for me," said Boisson yesterday (Thursday) with a soft voice and a shy smile.
Boisson has now climbed to 55th place in the world rankings. Growing up in Dijon, Boisson mainly played basketball as a child. No wonder, her father Yann is a basketball coach. As an eight-year-old on holiday, she picked up a tennis racket for the first time - and her talent immediately became apparent and she focused fully on tennis. As a result, she has been a professional since the age of 16.
"Her game is perfect for clay," says Andrea Petkovic, who, as tournament ambassador for the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open, is very close to Boisson every day when she plays, talks and trains.
Interesting: In May 2024, she won an ITF tournament in Switzerland against Anna Bondar - the defending champion here in Hamburg. Bondar, who reached the quarter-finals on Thursday, could be her opponent again at the Rothenbaum, but only in the final.
It's not that far yet. Four quarter-finals will be played today, Friday, at the Rothenbaum. All of them promise top tennis:
At 11.00 a.m., Leyre Romero Gormaz (Spain) will face Kaja Juvan from Slovenia. Dalma Galfi (Hungary) will face second seed Dayana Yastremska from Ukraine. Before Lois Boisson then plays Viktoriya Tomova (Bulgaria), top seed Ekaterina Alexandrova will take to the court against defending champion Anna Bondar from Hungary.
But Lois Boisson is particularly in the spotlight - with strength and charisma.
ALEXANDROVA
VS.
WERNER
Age: 30
Born in: Chelyabinsk, Russia
World ranking position: 16
Greatest success: Victory at the WTA 500 tournament in Linz (2025)
Age: 28
Born in: Szeghalom, Hungary
World ranking position: 77
Greatest success: Winner in singles and doubles at the WTA 125 tournament in Hamburg (2024)
Explora Journeys is the realisation of the MSC Group's vision to redefine luxury cruising - with a travel experience that feels as personal and free as sailing on your own private yacht. Elegant, relaxed and personalised, each voyage combines the highest levels of comfort with true relaxation at sea.
BONDAR
VS.
KRAUS
Whether on sand or grass, with the foot or with the racket - sport brings people together. On Thursday, the FC St. Pauli footballers were guests at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open. At a sporting meet-up, the Kiezkickers put their ball skills to the test with our tournament ambassador Andrea Petkovic and the Austrian doubles pair Sinja Kraus and Julia Grabher.
Six German players were in the main draw of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open - and bid farewell to the Hamburg crowd with plenty of commitment, emotion and fighting spirit. Two of them, Valentina Steiner and Caroline Werner, earned their place in the qualifying round and met directly in round one.
Wildcard holder Nastasja Schunk made it through to the round of 16 with great momentum, where she lost to Hungary's Dalma Galfi on Wednesday. Jule Niemeier also bowed out of the tournament on Wednesday - despite a strong performance, she was beaten by the number two seed Dayana Yastremska.
The duel between local favourite Noma Noha Akugue and defending champion Anna Bondar was a real highlight. After trailing 1:5 in the third set, the Hamburg player fought her way back - and ultimately lost the thrilling match in a tie-break.
On Wednesday evening, Tamara Korpatsch then provided a dramatic final on centre court: against French Open semi-finalist Lois Boisson, she delivered an emotional thriller match in which she stayed on her feet until the last point despite cramps.
Tatjana Maria, Germany's number one, also had to bid farewell to the Rothenbaum. Despite all her efforts, she had no chance against her fearsome opponent Viktoriya Tomova - but promised the crowd that she would: I'll be back next year!
Thanks to our German players for their great commitment, strong matches and a lot of passion for tennis!
Lois Boisson, the lottery draw winner and semi-finalist at the French Open, brought a sparkle to the eyes of the beaming winner of the Casio prize draw!
The Casio CT-S1BK, a stylish, compact 61-key keyboard with a powerful AiX sound engine, was raffled off as part of our student press conference. A real sound miracle: from rich concert grand piano sounds to cool vintage sounds, this keyboard fulfils the heart's desires of young pianists. We wish the winners lots of fun!
Just a few days to go before Hamburg tennis legend Tommy Haas returns home to play an exhibition against former US Open champion Dominic Thiem on the centre court of the Rothenbaum tennis stadium. It is a clash between two true tennis aesthetes who will also be reviving the one-handed backhand. "High Noon" for the German-Austrian tennis summit is on the final day of the WTA 250s tournament MSC Hamburg Ladies Open 2025 on Sunday, 20 July 2025, at 12 noon. Haas and Thiem will be the "appetiser" for the women's singles final, which starts at 2 pm. As usual, tickets are valid for the whole day, i.e. for both the exhibition and the final matches of the WTA tournament. On this MSC Family Day, all children up to the age of 15 are admitted free of charge.
Tommy Haas said about his opponent in advance: "I've generally been a big fan of his game, Domi has a mega one-handed backhand and is also a few years younger than me. I still enjoy playing tennis and I'll do my best to win."
From Thursday to Saturday, the young tennis stars will be playing alongside the really big players. At the European Summer Cup, Europe's most traditional team competition in junior tennis, eight European nations will compete until Saturday to secure one of the coveted starting places for the European final in Mariánské Lázně (Czech Republic). The European Summer Cup is kindly supported by Claus Heinemann as part of the Hamburg WTA tournament. In the main round, Poland will face Germany and Latvia Austria this Friday. Positions 5-8 will be played out between the Netherlands and Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia and Estonia.
The matches start at 9.30 a.m. - the girls are looking forward to welcoming many fans!
Yesterday morning there was a special training session on the Rothenbaum course: tournament ambassador Andrea Petkovic played a few balls with Alexander Otto, CEO of the ECE Group. A sporty and great start to the day!
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.
Whether in the background or in the thick of things - the core team is versatile, often invisible, but absolutely indispensable. The tournament office is the hub for everything that happens during the tournament week at the Rothenbaum.
The tournament office is the central control centre in the background before and during the tournament - where threads come together, schedules, concepts and processes are created.
Whether coin toss, raffle or stadium show - the tournament office keeps track of everything and ensures that the processes are right and everything is ready.
The team once stood at centre court until four in the morning to fix seat covers - not because it was planned, but because it was necessary. A moment that shows: This team goes the extra mile together - with humour and solidarity.
"The team is so well-rehearsed. Everyone can rely on each other and we always help each other out. Over the years, we've grown into a family. There are no problems - there are only solutions."
"Tennis is my passion. I have turned my hobby into my profession."
We have already introduced him as Head of Players, but what makes him special is not only his organisational talent, but also his role as Feel Good Manager: he is often the anchor that saves the day in stressful moments and someone who not only thinks, but also feels. Anyone who needs support - whether professional or personal - can rely on Alex.
A team-mate who not only lends a helping hand when needed, but also gives a hug when needed.
(Editor's note)
IT in North German at the Hamburg tennis classic: it's a perfect match! For this reason, bk systems is once again the official IT partner of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open this year. The company equips the individual departments and tournament offices with PCs, notebooks and monitors and provides the printing technology. Many thanks for this support!
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, all tennis fans can still 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.
Friday is ECE Day!
©2025 MatchMaker Sports GmbH