BIBERACH, December 16, 2019 (by Dietmar Kaspar)
The 48th edition of the German National Tennis Championships, held at the WTB indoor tennis centre in Biberach an der Riß, concluded with the victory of Daniel Masur.
After a first-round bye, the No. 2 seed in the men’s singles draw opened his title bid by defeating Kai Lemstra in three sets. Following a straight-sets win against Benedict Kurz, the 25-year-old fought past No. 6 seeded Johann Willems in the tie-break of the deciding set.
Unseeded Leonard von Hindte advanced to the final with wins over Stefan Seifert, No. 3 seed Johannes Haerteis, No. 7 seed Hannes Wagner and top seed Julian Lenz.
Munich resident Masur, who is representing the Tennispark Versmold, won 60 per cent of the total points played to prevail in the final 6-1, 6-3 after 58 minutes. In addition to the points for the German ranking, the former Davis-Cup player earned a prize money of €3,600.
Masur asked about …
– the match:
„I could have finished the match earlier, but I made it difficult for myself in the last stage. The match was closer than the scoreboard tells, but I made most of the big points.“
– the importance of this title win comparing to his maiden title in 2017:
„I think that the field was a little bit stronger two years ago and the first title is always something special, but it is always nice to win a tournament. It is a very prestigious title, so I am very happy about the win.”
– his preparation for the next season:
„I played the last ATP Challenger event of the season and competed in another tournament on the ITF World Tennis Tour, so comparing to the last years, I tried something new to have a longer season. I will have a short holiday break now followed by the preparation for the next season.”
– his upcoming tournaments:
„My ranking is good, but it is not guaranteed that it will be good enough to reach the qualifying of the Australian Open. I will go to Australia and practice there, hoping to enter the tournament. Perhaps I will start at the ITF M25 event in Nußloch, Germany.“
Lottner wins women’s title
Following her maiden title at the National Championships in 2014, Antonia Lottner lifted her second singles trophy after beating the tournament’s top favourite Katharina Hobgarski in the title match.
The Düsseldorf native, seeded second, sealed a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 victory in one hour and 39 minutes.
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Germany’s National Women’s Tennis Champion 2019: @antonialottner
After beating Sarah Müller, Julia Wachaczyk and No. 4 seeded Romy Kölzer in straight sets, Lottner dropped the only set during the tournament in the championship match.
Twenty-two year-old Hobgarski battled past Anja Wildgruber, Julia Middendorf and No. 6 seeded Lara Schmidt on her way to the final.
Lottner, who clinched the team title in the German Tennis-Bundesliga with Ladival TC Bad Vilbel this season, commented on…
– the difference between the titles 2014 and 2019:
„It is really different. I was very young when I clinched my first title in 2014, this was very special. In the last years, I grew as a tennis player as well as a person with a lot of experience in my life. I enjoy this year’s championship in another way.“
– the title match:
„I had a really good start into the match and I did a great job in the first set. Katharina is a good friend of mine and I knew about her problems with the shoulder. It was my fault, that I thought too much about her situation, losing the second set. In the final set, I focused on my tennis again to seal the win.”
– her upcoming tournaments:
„I will start the new season in Australia. My first tournament will be the ITF W25 tournament in Canberra, followed by the qualifying event of the Australian Open.”
– the coaching situation after her split with Michael Geserer
„I appreciate Michael’s job. We did a great progress in the last months in Regensburg and I won the title here. However, I am looking for another way. Next week, I will practice with Barbara Rittner at the WTB centre in Stuttgart. I will go to Australia without a personal coach thinking about a solution for the future.”
Klasen and Wagner clinch mixed trophy
Anna Klasen and Hannes Wagner triumphed in mixed doubles. The team beat Johann Willems and Julia Wachaczyk 6-7, 6-2, 13-11 in the final.
The German National Championships will be held in Biberach an der Riß for the next two years. The tournament’s 50th edition will be held in 2021.
