HAMBURG/STARNBERG, November 3, 2024
Victory at home! Mona Barthel emerged as the champion of the Hamburg Henssler at Home Ladies Cup after a thrilling singles final of the ITF World Tennis Tour W75 event on Sunday, defeating the tournament’s top seed Sonay Kartal from Great Britain 6-4, 7-6.
At the beginning of the encounter, things looked uncertain for the 34-year-old German, as Kartal quickly took a 3-0 lead in the first set. However, Barthel, currently ranked 172nd in the world, rallied back, leveling the score at 3-3 and ultimately winning the first set 6-4. Supported by an enthusiastic crowd at the venue of the Hamburg Tennis Federation, she showed her experience and resilience, especially as a former World No. 23.
In the second set, Kartal once again took an early 3-0 lead with a break. But Barthel found her rhythm, breaking back to 5-4 and nearly serving out for the match. Although Kartal managed to break back at 5-5, Barthel maintained her composure, pushing the set into a tie-break. After saving three set points, Barthel finally secured victory. Reflecting on her journey, Barthel expressed her joy: “What a week for me, with many highs and lows. In the first round, I faced a match point against me, and now here I am holding the trophy.”
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Kartal, who recently made a strong showing by reaching the third round at Wimbledon and winning her first WTA Tour title, praised her own performance throughout the week, despite the loss.
She aims to keep her form steady as she is already focused on the Australian Open, where she hopes to qualify directly for the main draw. Barthel, meanwhile, is focusing on staying healthy, saying, “If I’m healthy, I can still play very good tennis.”
