In front of 600 thrilled spectators on Saturday, she defeated Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2 to crown the premiere of the new tournament in Bad Homburg’s “Kurpark” venue. It was her first title win since her triumph in Wimbledon 2018.
“This win means a lot to me. Winning a tournament after such a long time is a great feeling and gives me confidence going into Wimbledon,” said Angelique Kerber, who clinched the match on her third match point after one hour 24 minutes. “It was a very intensive week. I played good tennis and enjoyed the fantastic atmosphere here at the club. It couldn’t have gone any better. To play the tournament in front of fans was the biggest motivation for me.”
The path to her 31st final, the first since Eastbourne in 2019, was a tour de force. In particular in the semi-final against the top-seeded Petra Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion and winner of the 2019 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, she was taken to her limits. It was her 15th encounter with the Czech, whereby the first came in the quarterfinal of the 2012 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. In a match lasting over two hours, the German eventually came out on top after winning the third set tie-break. As the quarterfinals could not be played on Thursday due to prolonged rainfall, Angelique Kerber had to go out on court twice on Friday. She secured her passage into the semis by beating Amanda Anisimova (USA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
“I can’t remember the last time I played six sets in a single day. It’s definitely a long time ago. But I’ve practiced hard on grass and am physically fit,” said Angelique Kerber, who also regained a lot of confidence during the tournament week in Bad Homburg. “Against Petra, I always believed I could turn the match around. It was important for me that I won it as in recent months I’ve lost a number of close matches.”
At the Bad Homburg Open, a WTA category 250 tournament, Angelique Kerber was not only competing as a player but was also involved in the organisation for the first time. The twin role was “a very interesting experience full of new impressions,” she said and was happy to have, in Porsche, a long-time partner at her side at the premiere. The sports car manufacturer supported the tournament by operating a Porsche Shuttle Service that ferried the players and officials backwards and forwards in up to 12 Porsche Taycan, Cayenne und Panamera E-Hybrids. Angelique Kerber: “As a Porsche Brand Ambassador, I’m delighted that Porsche is also a partner of our tournament. I know from my own experience that the players are always excited when such fantastic cars are available to drive them around.”
Porsche in tennis
Porsche has been sponsoring the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix ever since 1978 and has also been the organiser since 2002. The tournament in Stuttgart’s Porsche Arena was voted by the players as their favourite event in its category once again in 2019. Within the scope of its global partnership with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Porsche is also the title partner of the “Porsche Race to Shenzhen”, the official qualifying ranking for the Shiseido WTA Finals. The Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer is also the exclusive automotive partner of the WTA, the eason-ending WTA Finals, and this year of the WTA tournaments in Lyon, St. Petersburg, Berlin and Bad Homburg. As a premium partner of the “Deutsche Tennis Bund” (DTB – German Tennis Association), the company supports Porsche Team Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly the Fed Cup) and fosters up-and-coming players in the Porsche Talent Team and the Porsche Junior Team. Angelique Kerber, Julia Görges and Maria Sharapova give Porsche a face in tennis as Brand Ambassadors.
