HAMBURG, July 11, 2024
This is a milestone for professional women’s tennis in Hamburg! The ECE Group has taken over the title sponsorship of the WTA 125 tournament, which will be held from August 4 to 10 at the Rothenbaum Tennis Complex in Hamburg. The tournament will now be called ECE Ladies Hamburg Open.
The ECE Group has already been closely involved with tournament director Sandra Reichel and MatchMaker Sports GmbH over the past few years. They were responsible for the project management and design planning during the modernization of the Rothenbaum Tennis Stadium, largely financed by the Alexander Otto Sports Foundation. Moreover, the ECE Group has been one of the main sponsors of the Hamburg European Open for the past five years. Now, the ECE Group aims to contribute to establishing women’s tennis in Hamburg for the long term.
“It is an important signal for women’s tennis that even in this Olympic year, world-class players will compete alongside local heroes at Rothenbaum. I am therefore very pleased that Sandra Reichel has managed to organize a women’s tournament here in Hamburg and I thank her for her determination in finding a solution. She deserves support for this, which we are happy to provide with ECE. With this commitment, ECE aims to secure Hamburg as a location for women’s tennis and to further advance women’s sports in general,” says Alexander Otto, CEO of the ECE Group.
“We are very pleased that we were able to expand our collaboration with the ECE Group. Especially during this time, their support is a crucial sign that Alexander Otto and his ECE Group want to help us provide a home for women’s tennis in Hamburg. Managing to bring a women’s tournament to Hamburg this year was already a stroke of luck. The even more intensive cooperation with the ECE Group is an additional boon. I am already looking forward to the first serve at the ECE Ladies Hamburg Open,” says tournament director Sandra Reichel.
Defending champion Arantxa Rus and top Hamburg players set to compete
About four weeks before the tournament begins, the player field has been announced. Defending champion Arantxa Rus from the Netherlands leads the entry list. She will face challenges from last year’s finalist, Noma Noha Akugue from Reinbek, and her teammates from Club an der Alster, Tamara Korpatsch, Eva Lys, and Ella Seidel. The international top players at Rothenbaum will also include Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, who reached the French Open round of 16 last year, and Mayar Sherif from Egypt, who is considered a tennis pioneer for her country and reached the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 Madrid tournament in May. Additionally, the Rothenbaum champion of 2021, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who beat Andrea Petkovic in the final, will also be part of the line-up.
Center court tickets available from 10 euros
Tickets for the ECE Ladies Hamburg Open are available from 10 euros in the online ticket shop. Those who don’t want to miss the final matches on August 9 and 10 should opt for the “Weekend Ticket.” The combo ticket for the semifinals and finals (including a sun hat) is available for 60 euros in category one and 40 euros in category two. Children up to 12 years old receive free entry, and students aged 12 to 26 pay just 10 euros in category two on all days. People with disabilities receive a 50 percent discount, while wheelchair users and their companions receive free entry.
