HAMBURG, Germany – World No. 198 Elena-Gabriela Ruse (ROU) won her first-career WTA title at the Hamburg Open over the weekend, defeating a former top-10 player in Andrea Petkovic in the finals.
It was Ruse’s 7th-straight win on the red clay in Hamburg. The 23-year-old came up through the qualifying draw and then defeated three seeds en route to the finals.
In the finals, Ruse won the first set in a tiebreak and came back from a double break down in the second to win in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4.
“I'm so emotional right now," Ruse said after the match. "I felt really good today on the court.”
Ruse jumped 65 spots in the rankings after her victory and is now at a career-high of 133.
Fast Facts
- Ruse is the lowest-ranked WTA tournament champion since September 2018
- Ruse is the third qualifier to win a WTA event this year (Clara Tauson also qualified to win Lyon March)
- Ruse previous best result in a WTA event was the quarterfinals of Nottingham, more than two years ago
Road to the Title
Qualifying R1: def. Liang En-shuo, 6-2, 6-1
Qualifying R2: def. Isabella Shinikova, 6-3, 6-3
Round of 32: def. [6] Jill Teichmann, 7-5, 7-6
Round of 16: def. Anna Zaja, 6-2, 6-2
Quarterfinals: def. [4] Danielle Collins, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5
Semifinals: def. [1] Dayana Yastremska, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
Finals: def. Andrea Petkovic, 7-6, 6-4
Elena-Gabriela’s Gear
Racquet: VCORE 100
Bag: Pro Series Racquet Bag
Overgrip: Super Grap