ISMANING, October 21, 2017

Yannick Hanfmann and Lorenzo Sonego will compete in Sunday’s final of the inaugural WOLFFKRAN Open. The 25-year-old German fought past his compatriot Dustin Brown 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday afternoon at the Sportpark in Ismaning.

After losing the opening set, Hanfmann converted his second break point chance of the match to gain a 3-1 lead and pushed the match the distance. A cross-court backhand return winner in the 11th game of the final set put the 25-year-old German again in the lead and Hanfmann served out to secure victory in one hour and 56 minutes.

“I really enjoy playing on carpet. There are only two tournaments per season for me to compete on this surface,” Hanfmann was pleased with his performance. “Nonetheless, it is never easy to play against Dustin. I just tried to stay focused, even when I wasn’t able to capitalize on my chances. That was key today.” 

Sonego Into Back-To-Back Challenger Finals

The Karlsruhe native, who practices at the TennisBase in Oberhaching located only a few kilometres away from Ismaning, will take on Lorenzo Sonego for the first time. The 22-year-old Italian won his second match against fellow Italian Matteo Donati within two weeks time. Sonego sent down 11 aces, winning 86 per cent of his first service points to secure a 7-6, 6-4 victory in one hour and 24 minutes.

The pair will meet for the first time. Hanfmann finished runner-up to Ricardas Berankis at the Shymkent Challenger in May. He is looking to win his maiden trophy. Sonego clinched his first ATP Challenger trophy in Val Gardena last Sunday.