Sensation! Jule Niemeier defeats defending champion Ons Jabeur
Wednesday three last 16 clashes in the singles - also four Germans in the doubles event!
Berlin, June 20, 2023 - Big names, big performances, big hopes. And a very big sensation named Jule Niemeier: number 120 in the world, not in top form lately. At the bett1open presented by ecotrans Group, she fought her way doggedly through two qualifying rounds. Now the reward! Thanks to a terrific performance, Niemeier defeated defending champion Ons Jabeur 7:6 and 6:4 and catapulted herself into the round of last 16.
After Jule Niemeier won the dramatic first set in a tie-break, the scent of a huge surprise was over the Steffi Graf Stadium on the LTTC "Rot-Weiß" e. V. facility.
The two opponents had never played each other before. But Niemeier had received insider knowledge, from Andrea Petkovic. After her active career on the WTA Tour, she is now an advisor and mentor at the DTB. "Petko knew how to play against Ons. She gave me valuable tips," Niemeier praised after her triumph, saying that despite being nervous toward the end of the match, she wasn't too surprised by her coup: "I've beaten top-10 players before, too. Still, it was a great victory for me. " In the end, the passionate crowd also helped. Niemeier: "It's so nice to play here at home in Germany." Ons Jabeur praised her conqueror: "Jule is a great player and I wish her all the best for the tournament. For me, it's important to get more used to playing on grass again."
So training for Jabeur, dreams for Niemeier. The winner of the duel between Bianca Andreescu and Marketa Vondrousova now awaits her in the round of 16.
In general, the battle for a place in the round of last 16 at the bett1open presented by ecotrans Group was a feast for all tennis fans. And so the impression was imposing: It is simply impossible to guess who will succeed Ons Jabeur as tournament winner next Sunday.
The top stars Aryna Sabalenka (6:3 and 6:2 against Vera Zvonareva) and Elena Rybakina (6:4 and 6:2 against Veronika Kudermetova), seeded number one and number two, did not show any weakness. Australian Open winner Sabalenka summed up that "my game is coming back on grass." Rybakina admitted she was still a little weakened from a virus: "I'm not back to 100 percent yet."
At the end of the tennis evening, another crowd favorite secured a ticket to the round of 16. Coco Gauff (WTA rank 7) triumphed over Katerina Siniakova (WTA rank 54) 6:3 and 6:4.
Laura Siegemund (WTA rank 150) was unlucky. The second German in the field besides Jule Niemeier lost after more than three hours against Anna Blinkova with 3:6, 7:6 and 5:7. Nevertheless, she was happy about "the cool atmosphere, the spectators were great".
As some matches could not take place due to the rain in the morning (Veronika Kudermetova against Qinwen Zheng, Bianca Andreescu against Marketa Vondrousova, Maria Sakkari against Alize Cornet), Wednesday is filled with even more cracker tennis.
Things get underway at 11 a.m.
Then Sakkari and Cornet will open Tennis Wednesday at the Steffi Graf Stadium. After that, the round of last 16 matches between Caroline Garcia and Jaimee Fourlis, Rybakina and Donna Vekic are scheduled. After that, Petra Kvitova is waiting for her opponent (either Nadia Podoroska or Rebeka Masarova, whose match at 3:6, 6:1 and 1:1 was stopped due to darkness and will be finished in the morning).
The doubles competition is also particularly spectacular. Three Germans are in action: Jule Niemeier forms the German team with Noma Noha Akugue (against Alexa Guarachi/Erin Routliffe). After that, Sabine Lisicki and Daria Kasatkina will face the Miyu Kato/Aldila Sutjiadi team. Finally, Laura Siegemund will play alongside Vera Zvonareva against Anna Danillina and Yifan Xu.