WTA Hamburg: Bouasson Claims First Career Title, Breakthrough After French Open Semifinals

In the WTA 250 Hamburg final held last Sunday local time, French player Bouasson defeated the 7th seed Bondar in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, capturing her first WTA Tour singles title and marking another milestone in her breakthrough season.

Bouasson Profile Picture

Both players in the final were making their debut in a WTA Tour singles final, and Bouasson achieved a comeback after being broken in each set. Bondar started strong, leading 4-0 in the first set, and even held a set point at 5-2. However, Bouasson saved multiple break points and staged a remarkable comeback, winning five consecutive games to take the first set.

In the second set, although Bouasson fell behind 1-2 due to a double fault, her clever drop shots and resilient defense allowed her to withstand the pressure in the final game and secure victory. This marked her second fairy tale moment on clay within three months after reaching the French Open semifinals. After the match, she expressed her excitement, saying, "Winning was very tough, and now I am extremely happy. I hope to maintain this form."

Bouasson's rise began at last month's French Open, where she made a stunning debut in the main draw as a wildcard, reaching the semifinals. Ranked only No. 361 at the time, she set multiple records at this home Grand Slam and quickly became the new leading figure in French women's singles. Despite exiting in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying, she quickly regained her winning rhythm upon returning to clay, and her world ranking has now reached a career-high No. 44 this week.

Begu Profile Picture

At the same time last week during the WTA 250 event in Iasi, Romanian player Begu finally returned to the winner's podium in her hometown, ending a three-year title drought. The 7th seed Begu defeated Swiss 6th seed Jill Teichmann 6-0, 7-5 in the final, with the match lasting 1 hour and 33 minutes, marking her fourth victory in five encounters against Teichmann.

The veteran, who once ranked as high as No. 22 in the world, last won a title back at the 2022 Palermo event. Notably, three of Begu's six WTA singles titles have come on her preferred clay surface, with two of those victories occurring in her home country of Romania (2017 Bucharest).

“It’s unbelievable; winning a title in my hometown feels amazing,” Begu said excitedly after the match. “Winning in Iasi felt like a dream; I didn’t dare to hope for this before the match, and now I’m just incredibly happy.”

Currently, both Begu (highest ranking No. 22) and Teichmann (highest ranking No. 21) are ranked outside the top 100 but are experiencing a resurgence in form. For the Swiss left-hander Teichmann, this marks her first appearance in a WTA Tour final since August 2021 at the Cincinnati WTA 1000 event, and this runner-up finish signifies an important turning point in her career.

(Written and edited by Wang Fei, Images by Visual China)