Experienced Dutch player Arantxa Rus defeated German teenager Noma Noha Akugue 6-0, 7-6 (7-3) in the final of the Hamburg European Open on Saturday for her first WTA tour title.
It was the first final for both players. The 19-year-old Noha Akugue was making her WTA tournament debut as a wild card in her hometown, while the 32-year-old Rus was the oldest first-time WTA finalist since 34-year-old Tzipora Obziler in Guangzhou, China, in 2007.
“I think today (Saturday), I didn’t have too much support, but it was a very good atmosphere,” said Rus, who dedicated the trophy to her father.
Rus coped better with the pressure early on as Noha Akugue’s play was marred by a slew of unforced errors. Altogether, the teenager had 46 unforced errors, compared to 23 from her opponent.
The 207th-ranked Noha Akugue improved drastically in the second set and saved two match points to excite the crowd. But Rus dug in to wrap up the result in 1 hour, 45 minutes in the tiebreaker.
“I hope I can come back next year and maybe win the tournament,” Noha Akugue said.
Noha Akugue had reached the final on her debut in the main draw of a WTA Tour tournament.
On Friday, she won 6-3, 6-3 against another 19-year-old, Russian Diana Shnaider, in a fairy-tale run at the Hamburg European Open.
Noha Akugue, who is from the Hamburg suburbs, had a wild card for the tournament. “At the start of the week, I didn’t even think I’d get the wild card. I thought I’d have to play qualis,” she had told broadcaster Servus TV.
The WTA said Saturday’s final between Noha Akugue and Rus was the first between two left-handers on the women’s tour since 2018, when Petra Kvitova beat Mihaela Buzarnescu for the Prague title.
Top seed Ruud out
In the men’s tournament, top-seeded Casper Ruud was upset 6-0, 6-4 by Arthur Fils for a spot in the semi-finals. Fils will next play Alexander Zverev after the German beat Luca van Assche 6-3, 6-4.
Laslo Djere stunned defending champion Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-3 to set up a semi-final meeting with Zhang Zhizhen. The Chinese player is in the last four of an ATP event for the first time after beating Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-4.
