BIBERACH, December 9, 2022 (by Dietmar Kaspar)
The quarterfinals of the 2022 German National Tennis Championships presented by Tannenhof are set. The 51st edition of the indoor hard-court tournament is being held this week at the Indoor Tennis Centre of the Württembergischer Tennis Bund (WTB) in Biberach an der Riß.
In the men’s competition all seeded players advanced to the stage of the last eight led by World No. 635 Kai Wehnelt. Following his win against qualifier Yannick Wunderlich, the 27-year-old Berlin native fought past Lenn Lümkemann 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 on Friday.
“I am really satisfied with my two wins here,” Wehnelt told Tennis TourTalk. “I tried to start here with not too much expectations. I had a long season and my goal is to stay physically well and have some good matches. Being the top seed in such a tournament is a great feeling, but it also gives some pressure and will motivate opponents to beat me.”
Next up for the former college player, who captured back-to back doubles titles in Monastir in the last two weeks, will be Lewie Lane, who is based at the tennis base of the German Tennis Federation in Hannover. Lane, 21, advanced with a straight-set win against national U18-indoor champion Markus Malaszszak.
Teenager Max Hans Rehberg is the highest-ranked player in the men’s draw. The 18-year-old has celebrated the biggest success on the Pro Tour this season by finishing runner up at Wolffkran Open ATP Challenger in Ismaning in October. The World No. 425 opened his title bid with a hard fought three-set win versus Max Wiskandt, followed by a 6-4, 6-1-victory against Maximilian Scholl. Nineteen-year-old Rehberg will next oppose Marcel Zielinski, who edged out teenager Lasse Pörtner in straight sets.
In addition to top seed Wehnelt, two further former college players are still in hunt for the title. Jakob Schnaitter, who played for the Wake Forest University, cruised past Luca Matteo Sobbe 6-3, 6-4 and will meet Leopold Zima.
Tim Handel, who competed for the Northern Arizona University, advanced to the quarterfinals with a three-set comeback win over Aaron James Williams. He will next play No. 2 seed Jochen Bertsch.
Porsche Team members convince in women’s draw
Following the withdrawal of top seed Noma Noha Akugue due to illness and the retirement of second favourite Julia Middendorf after injuring her right shoulder, other members of the Porsche Team are still going for the title in Biberach.
No. 3 seed Ella Seidel, World No. 20 in ITF Juniors Ranking, reached the quarterfinals by dropping only six games in her two matches. The 17-year-old from Hamburg eased past Victoria Pohle 6-0, 6-1.
“I felt really good on court today and I implemented all the things, which I talked about with my coach before the start match,” said Seidel. “It is never easy to play against a good friend, but my performance was really good and I am happy about the win. I will go match by match and it would be great to follow in the footsteps of my team mates Noma and Eva to win the title here.”
Next up for Seidel will be Helene Schnack, who is enjoying a great run of form in Biberach. Following her opening win against Philippa Färber, the 15-year-old knocked off No. 5 seed Joelle Steur in straight sets.
Still of great interest will be U18-indoor champion Julia Stusek from Usingen. The 14-year-old, who is practices with Melanie Molitor in Switzerland, defeated Paula Rumpf 6-3, 6-0 and will meet Katharina Hering in the next round.
Left-handed Carolina Kuhl, who will represent Germany alongside Seidel at the 2023 Australian Junior Championships, did not lose a set in her opening two matches and booked the spot in the quarterfinals with a 7-6, 6-3 win against No. 4 seed Mara Guth. The 17-year-old will next take on Laura Putz.
In addition to Stusek, another 14-year-old made it to the round of the final eight. U14-champion Sonja Zhenikhova defeated Alexandra Lutz with 6-4, 6-3 and will challenge Angelina Wirges.
The German national championships in Biberach will continue until Sunday. For further information, please visit the official website from the German Tennis Federation:
