First tournament win for Korpatsch
German tennis hope makes dream come true in Transylvania
October 23, 2023, 3:40 p.m
In the tennis world rankings, Tamara Korpatsch is back in the top 100 and, at 71st, is doing better than ever before. The reason: The 28-year-old German won her first tournament on the WTA tour in Romania. She thanks her parents – and is still left out of the national team for the time being.
At the destination of her dreams, Tamara Korpatsch couldn’t stop grinning. The 28-year-old proudly lifted her gold trophy into the air in Cluj-Napoca and then gave it a big kiss. “This means a lot to me. It’s my first WTA title and I’m so happy about it,” said Korpatsch at the peak of her career – and at the end of a rocky road.
After the 6:3, 6:4 final victory at the Transylvania Open over the Romanian local hero Elena Ruse, the Hamburg native’s thoughts were with her closest confidants. “Thanks to my father, who trains with me every day. And to my mother, who always supports me,” said Korpatsch after her first tour final ever: “I don’t know what I would do without her.”
In the first set, when the score was 3:3, Ruse had to have his foot treated for a long time, after which Korpatsch managed the decisive break. Cheered on by the spectators, the Romanian fought for every point in the second set, but in the end Korpatsch won confidently in two sets. The Hamburg native then praised the audience: “It’s a wonderful atmosphere here. You did a great job.” With the triumph in Cluj-Napoca, Korpatsch returns to the top 100 in the world rankings and is in better shape than ever before: in position 71.
Team boss Schüttler praises “giant step”
Her parents paved the way for Korpatsch to the top, despite difficult financial conditions. The right-handed player never benefited from funding from the German Tennis Federation (DTB) when she was young – despite her obvious talent, which she has demonstrated for years with solid, consistent tennis.
And even in the recent past, even as a seasoned professional player in her prime, the strong running player from Hamburg often flew under the radar. Korpatsch is also not part of team boss Rainer Schüttler’s five-man squad at the final round of the Billie Jean King Cup in Seville (November 7th to 12th), where Germany is fighting for the title.
“Congratulations to Tamara. This is a huge step for her, but my team for Sevilla is there,” said Schüttler: “These are the five players who qualified together over the year and who deserve to be there in Sevilla.” This means that Spain is missing the new number two in the German rankings. Korpatsch, who knocked her Hamburg colleague Eva Lys out of the tournament in the semifinals, catapulted herself to previously unattainable heights with her victory in Romania.