On Sunday, 13 July, the newly conceived Hamburg WTA tournament starts at the Rothenbaum. The MSC Hamburg Ladies Open (13 July to 20 July) offers world-class women's tennis combined with a tennis festival for the whole family! At a press conference on Friday, tournament director Sandra Reichel together with Dr Jonas Leder, Director of the Hamburg Sports Office, and Hamburg tennis pros Eva Lys and Noma Noha Akugue got everyone in the mood for this major sporting event.
Under the new name "MSC Hamburg Ladies Open" and with the new main sponsor, the world's largest shipping company MSC, on board, a new chapter is being opened in the long-standing history of women's tennis in Hamburg. It is an exclamation mark for women's sport in Hamburg and at the same time a shining beacon for the city of Hamburg. The tournament will be broadcast on TV in almost 200 countries.
Fans can look forward to an exciting mix of sport, fun, action and business. "We want to offer a tennis festival for everyone in Hamburg," summarises tournament director Sandra Reichel. Tennis fans can look forward to a large number of German players and, above all, Hamburg players. At the top of the bill are Queens winner Tatjana Maria, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Laura Siegemund and Australian Open round of 16 finalist
There is also a great mix of experienced and very young international players. For example, the French shooting star of the French Open Lois Boisson. Before Roland Garros, the 22-year-old was almost only known to insiders. But then she stormed through to the semi-finals and into the hearts of millions of tennis fans worldwide. Boisson can and loves tennis on clay. This is fuelling anticipation for her first appearance at the Rothenbaum.
Or the finalist of the Berlin Ladies Open, Xinju Wang from China. She is still without a WTA title, but her impressive performance in Berlin showed that she is now a title contender. Almost every appearance by Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska is also exciting, as she keeps coming up with outstanding results, be it her semi-final appearance at the Australian Open 2024 or her final appearance at the WTA 500 tournament in Linz at the start of the year.
Anna Bondar and Arantxa Rus, the winners of the past two years, will also be competing.
In addition to Noma Noha Akugue (finalist in Hamburg 2023) and Lois Boisson, young German hopeful Nastasja Schunk (Mainz) will receive a wildcard for the main draw of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open.
Tessa Brockmann, the talented youngster from TC an der Schirnau in Kaltenkirchen, will also receive a wildcard for the qualifiers. The 19-year-old already had a taste of professional tennis last year at the WTA tournament in Hamburg. Sonja Zhenikhova (TK Blau-Gold Steglitz), who is part of the Porsche Talent Team, will also be able to play in the qualifiers thanks to a wild card, as will Valentina Steiner (Heidelberger TC).
One further main draw wildcard and two qualifying wildcards are still to be awarded.
The supporting programme shines with many highlights and offers for
"Small and big"
There's a very special treat on top: an exhibition match as an appetiser for the women's final! Germany against Austria, Tommy Haas against Dominic Thiem! The return of two real world stars to the Rothenbaum. Followed by the women's singles final and then the women's doubles final! Tennis fans, what more could you want?
From the Mini Cup Series North presented by MSC, to the European Summer Cup, which is hosted here as part of the tournament, to the Inclusion Day, which is organised in cooperation with the Alexander Otto Sports Foundation.
The MSC Hamburg Ladies Open will also be a special school experience. Almost 2,000 pupils will spend a day at the centre court during the tournament week.
The joint event "VOICES ON COURT - THE HAMBURG EDITION" is a special highlight and statement on how MatchMaker Sports GmbH sees its role in relation to women's sport. Before the semi-finals on 19 July 2025, prominent voices from the worlds of sport, business, media and politics will come together at Hamburg's Rothenbaum to discuss participation, equality and sustainability in sport (details will be provided in a separate press release on Monday).
Tickets at family-friendly prices
Tickets for the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open are available via the online shop at www.hamburg-open.com or the ticket hotline +49 1806 99 11 75. The cheapest tickets are available from just 25 euros, and there are discounts for children, pupils, students and people with disabilities. All children under the age of 15 have free admission to the final on Sunday, 20 July. Not only the singles and doubles finals will take place on this day: From 12 noon, former US Open winner Dominic Thiem and Hamburg-born and former world number two Tommy Haas will also play each other in an exhibition.
The first highlight is the official draw on Sunday at 1 pm at the MSC bar on the tournament grounds! This year's special feature: the draw is open to the public, so anyone who buys a ticket for Sunday can also attend the draw.
Now it really is "Cast off"!
The MSC Hamburg Ladies Open is ready for the first serve.
Statements on the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open 2025:
Tournament director Sandra Reichel:
"The MSC Hamburg Ladies Open is an exclamation mark for women's sport in Hamburg with global appeal. With a TV broadcast in almost 200 countries around the globe, the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open is a beacon for the city and the location that shines all over the world. Hamburg also presents itself as the tennis capital of Germany with this tournament. At no other German tennis tournament have so many German players competed as at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open."
Dr Jonas Leder, Head of the Sports Office of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg:
"The MSC Hamburg Ladies Open emphasises how important women's sport is for our city. Players like Eva Lys and Noma Noha Akugue show what Hamburg can do. In view of our bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, this tournament is also a strong signal for top-class sport in the city."
Torben Beltz, head national women's coach:
"It's a strong signal that we can give several German players the chance to show themselves on this big stage at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open thanks to the wildcards for the main draw and qualifiers. Noma Noha Akugue and Nastasja Schunk, who will be competing in the main draw, have already shown that they can hold their own at this level - for them, Hamburg is an important stop on their way back or further up. And our junior players Tessa Brockmann, Sonja Zhenikhova and Valentina Steiner will also have a valuable opportunity to compete against international rivals under professional conditions in the qualifiers. There's no substitute for experience like this - and it's exactly the kind of opportunity we need to take the next step in our players' development."
Eva Lys:
"I practically grew up here at the Rothenbaum and the Club an der Alster. I know the routes here, I know the people here. There's a feeling of home for me here, which of course wouldn't otherwise be possible on tour. Sometimes I put a bit too much pressure on myself. But of course I'm looking at the winner's trophy here. If I didn't have this mindset, then I would be out of place."
Noma Noha Akugue:
"In 2023, I went into every match here in Hamburg with the mentality of always giving my all and wanting to play my best tennis. After reaching the final here at the Rothenbaum, I unfortunately had to battle a lot with injuries. It was difficult to get back into the rhythm of the game. I'm glad that I'm now fit again. I will give my all here again to be successful."