ATP/WTA: German Championships: Torture and Korpatsch lead the field of participants

Maximilian Marterer and Tamara Korpatsch lead the field of participants from 10. until 17. December 2017 in Biberach at the Riß hosted German Championships for men and women. The Porsche Talent Team will also be represented in Upper Swabia.

The responsible officials of the German Tennis Association (DTB) and the organizing WTB (Wurttemberg Tennis Association) were delighted to see the excellent entry lists at the official press conference a few days before the start of the German Championships for Men and Women in Biberach.”In both competitions we have a strong line-up, so we can be very satisfied with this”, said Tournament Director and WTB sports manager Rolf Schmid.

The women’s field is headed by Tamara Korpatsch (Der Club an der Alster), number ten in the German ranking, closely followed by Anna Zaja (TEC Waldau Stuttgart, DTB 12), Antonia Lottner (TC Rot-Blau Regensburg, DTB 13) and Katharina Hobgarski (BASF TC Ludwigshafen, DTB 14). But the circle of favourites is large, Katharina Gerlach (Tennispark Versmold, DTB 19), who like Lottner and Hobgarski is also a member of the Porsche Talent Team, as well as last year’s finalist Laura Schaeder (TEC Waldau Stuttgart, DTB 16) and Sarah-Rebecca Sekulic (TC Ismaning, DTB 15) have every reason to hope that there will be a lot more to play in the tournament.

Since the men’s field has always been a little weaker in recent years, it is very strong this time, both in the width and in the top,”The spectators can be happy, it will certainly be exciting matches. Whoever grabs the title at the end is open. I see several candidates right at the front,”predicts Davis Cup captain Michael Kohlmann. The list of entries is headed by Maximilian Marterer (TK Kurhaus Aachen, DTB 9). The 22-year-old, who trains at the DTB national base in Oberhaching, currently ranks ninetyth in the world rankings and is thus the highest placed participant in the 2017 title fights in the international ranking. Marterer, who was only stopped in last year’s final by Michael Berrer, is the hottest candidate for winning the championship.

With the Davis Cup players Yannick Hanfmann (TC Weinheim, DTB 11), Daniel Masur (Tennispark Versmold, DTB 19) and the Württemberg local heroes Yannick Maden (TEC Waldau Stuttgart, DTB 12) he faces tough competition. The youngsters from the Talent Team of the German Tennis Federation, Louis Weßels (Bielefeld TTC), Marvin Möller (Rahlstedter HTC) and Rudolf Molleker (LTTC RW Berlin) are also highly interesting names on the entry list.

For the Württemberg squad player Yannick Maden, the championships are a mandatory date:”This is of course due to the fact that my association organizes the championships, but this is not the only reason. The championships are very well prepared for next year’s season and it is also a great tournament,”says the 27-year-old. Last year, the Stuttgart player reached the quarter-finals in the singles and won the mixed title alongside Anna Zaja.

Whether the duo from Württemberg will be able to repeat last year’s coup will be decided on the evening of the semi-final day, Saturday, 16. December. The next day the ladies’ final will take place, followed by the men’s final. The start of the championships will be on Sunday, 10. December, with the matches in the qualification. Admission is free on this day. Whoever wants to experience the title fights, which will be staged for the ninth time in total and for the eighth time in a row at the WTB district base in Biberach, should not only be happy about great tennis.

Admission prices have remained unchanged. For example, a season ticket is available at a price of 28 euros (25 euros in advance) and a day ticket costs between 5 euros and 15 euros. Further information, including advance booking, is available at www.dtb-tennis.de/DM. From the quarter-finals onwards, the matches can also be watched live on the Internet via the Facebook page of the German Tennis Federation.