New "small" combined event in Hamburg - Novak and Masur there
After the traditional Hamburg European Open in July and the group phase of the Davis Cup finals in September, Hamburg is once again the focus of the international tennis world this October.
by Florian Heer
last edit: Oct 02, 2022, 12:59 pm
Then the Hanseatic city welcomes the stars of the ATP Challenger Tour and the top players of the ITF World Tennis Circuit.
The tournaments for women and men will take place from October 16th to 23rd at the base of the Hamburg Tennis Association in Hamburg-Horn. The staging of a "combined event" is unique at this level of professional tennis in Germany. It is thus the smaller version of the Rothenbaum tournament, which was held as a combined event for the first time in 44 years.
The men will compete for a total prize money of 45,730 euros at the Challenger Hamburg. A total of 60,000 US dollars will be paid out at the Future Nord women's tournament.
"Small Combined Event" as a further upgrade for Hamburg as a tennis location
“A few years ago, we organized a men's and women's tournament in Kaltenkirchen in the North-East Regional League with prize money of 10,000 US dollars. We were able to successfully expand this over time, so that it was moved to the hall of the Hamburg Tennis Association. At the same time, the DTB organized a Challenger tournament in 2019 and 2020, which was discontinued last year," explains tournament director Björn Kroll in the tennis podcast "Challenger Corner".
Also this season, a combined event, each endowed with 25,000 US dollars, was planned as part of the ITF World Tennis Tour on the grounds of the Hamburg Tennis Association, but when the ATP approached the organizers and asked whether the tournaments, those responsible did not hesitate. "We see this as a compliment for the tournaments we have organized so far and as a further upgrade for Hamburg as a tennis location," says Kroll. "In addition, the young German junior players have the opportunity to gain valuable experience at international level."
However, the organizers do not have much time to prepare, as the final confirmation was only given a good two weeks ago. “The city of Hamburg supports us to the best of its ability. That's a great thing. It enables us to develop a 'small combined event' after the Rothenbaum tournament, where the players from the region can be involved,” says Kroll happily.
Attractive field of participants with Dennis Novak at the top
Only in July of this year did it become known that the traditional Challenger tournament in Eckental, Franconia, would no longer be continued after 27 years, leaving a gap in the German tournament calendar. This can now be closed with the Challenger Hamburg. In the week after the Wolffkran Open by Tannenhof (October 10th to 16th) in Ismaning, Upper Bavaria, the only carpet event on the Challenger Tour, the tennis cracks can now continue their hunt for points in the north of the country.
The entry list of the Hamburg Challenger is led by Dennis Novak, the current number 114 in the ATP world rankings. The 29-year-old Austrian is one of a total of seven players from the top 200 who will start the race as title favorites. On the German side, Daniel Masur (ATP 179) and Mats Moraing (ATP 246) will serve, among others.
Korpatsch, Akugue, Lys for the ladies?
For the women, the spectators can look forward to several Hamburg local heroes. The participation of Ella Seidel, who reached the doubles final at the US Open junior tournament this year, and the German champion of 2020, Noma Noha Akugue (WTA 306), is firmly expected. And the organizers are also hoping for the participation of Tamara Korpatsch (WTA 100), who recently won her first WTA title at the 125 tournament in Budapest, and Eva Lys (WTA 172), the German champion of 2021.
"I'm already in close contact with DTB head coach Barbara Rittner and Davis Cup captain Michael Kohlmann. We want to give as many German players as possible the opportunity to play in front of their home crowd," said tournament director Kroll.
Top tennis for free
Visitors can look forward to top international tennis, with entry being free for the entire tournament week.
In the run-up to the tournament – from 07.10. until 09.10. – there will also be two wildcard events, each with prize money of 6,000 euros. The winners not only get a check and valuable points for the German ranking list, but also starting places for the qualification of the subsequent professional tournament.
inclusion and sustainability
In addition, not only professional sport should be offered a stage, but also topics such as children's tennis and tennis for people with disabilities will be addressed.
"Sustainability is also a major concern for us," adds Kroll. “We want to make events more environmentally friendly. This is a challenge that we are happy to take on.”