LUDWIGSHAFEN, July 7, 2019
Ludwigshafen, which is primarily known as an industrial city and home of chemical giant BASF as well as the birthplace of the former German chancellor Helmut Kohl and the philosopher Ernst Bloch has become part of the ATP Challenger Tour this week. The tournament was relocated from Marburg to the Rhine Neckar Area and with Yannick Hanfmann, a local favourite became the singles champion of the inaugural edition of the €46,600 Ludwigshafen Challenger.
In front of about 800 spectators on Center Court at the BASF-Tennisclub, the 27-year-old Karlsruhe native defeated No. 12 seed Filip Horansky of Slovakia 6-3, 6-1 on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. After losing one service game at the beginning, Hanfmann dominated the encounter, broke his opponent’s serve five times to prevail in only 57 minutes.
Champion in Ludwigshafen! Fourth @ATPChallenger career title for @YannickHanfmann – his third on home soil. Winning the final 6-3, 6-1 against Filip Horansky. #LUC pic.twitter.com/MllZ3RHSIi
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) 7. Juli 2019
The World No. 212 captured his fourth ATP Challenger career title, his third on home soil following his triumphs in Ismaning 2017 and Braunschweig last year.
“It’s been a fantastic week for me and I rewarded myself with a good match today,” Hanfmann was pleased after the quick final. “It makes it very special to win in front of my friends and family.”
Hanfmann takes away from Ludwigshafen €6,190 in prize money as well as 80 ATP-Ranking points. However, there is not much time to celebrate the title. “I will now have the chance to enjoy the moment a bit, but later in the afternoon I am heading for Braunschweig. One day off would have been fine, but I have to be back on court tomorrow. I am happy to progress, as another tough challenge is waiting for me there.”
Hanfmann will play compatriot Julian Lenz in the opening round of the Sparkassen Open.
Lammons & Romboli win doubles title
Earlier in the day, Nathaniel Lammons from the United States and Fernando Romboli of Brazil clinched their first team title. The top seeds defeated the all-Portuguese combination of Joao Domingues and Pedro Sousa 7-6(4), 6-1 in the doubles final. The encounter lasted 68 minutes.
Nathaniel Lammons and Fernando Romboli
“We had some looks in breaking them in the first set. We were holding pretty well and were able to sneak it out in the breaker. That helped us moving into the second set,” Lammons told Tennis TourTalk after winning his fourth title on the ATP Challenger Tour, his third of the season following Cherbourg and Newport Beach.
“It was a great week here,” added Romboli, who lifted his 12th Challenger trophy. “The club is really nice and the organization is very good. Everyone was helpful. There were also a lot of people coming out and watched the matches. Challengers are not always like this. It was a great experience and I hope that you can make more events like this.”
Lammons and Romboli will stay in Germany, competing at Braunschweig next, however, both are committed to different partners. Lammons will team up with Antonio Sancic from Croatia and Romboli will partner compatriot Fabricio Neis.
