The 31st TERRA WORTMANN OPEN entered the home straight with a lavish party evening on Saturday evening: 1,500 guests celebrated spectacular show and music acts in the VIP area and got in the mood for the world-class final between ATP leader Jannik Sinner (Italy) and ninth-ranked Hubert Hurkacz (Poland). "We have experienced wonderful days of tennis. The atmosphere, especially in the final phase of the tournament, was outstanding," said Tournament Director Ralf Weber. "The fact that we had six top 11 pros in the rankings here shows impressively how important we have become here."
Presenter Jessica "Jess" Schöne hosted the varied evening program and naturally introduced the two main protagonists of the final Sunday to the cheerful guests: Sky striker Sinner, who has a chance of lifting the trophy in his very first tournament as the new number one in men's tennis. And Hubert Hurkacz, the cool man from Wroclaw, who wants to shine as the winner of the ATP 500 grass court classic for the second time since 2022. The special feature, the piquant punchline: Sinner and Hurkacz are pretty much best friends off center court.
"It will be a special game. But we are professionals. You have to think about yourself on the court," said Sinner on the sidelines of the show stage. The 22-year-old South Tyrolean pointed out once again that tournament director Weber and the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN organizers had believed in his qualities early on: "I received a wildcard for the qualifiers as a 17-year-old. You don't forget something like that." Hurkacz praised the "incredible atmosphere" in HalleWestphalia: "If it's not fun to play here, where else is it? The spectators are simply fantastic." At the beginning of the gymnastics week, Hurkacz and Sinner had even played doubles together on the perfectly prepared grass courts.
Artists from the GOP Variete ensemble from Bad Oeynhausen amazed the 1,500 guests in the VIP area with a fantastic stage show and received long, loud applause for their performances. The GOP ensemble included Christoph Kuch (mental magic), Donial Kolex (LED visual poi) and Melanie Chy (handstand acrobatics on a motorcycle). Singer-songwriter Kelvin Jones then brought the party guests' spirits to a boil. The star with family roots in Great Britain and Zimbabwe had conquered the international charts with songs such as "Call me home" and "Don't let me go".
The traditional TERRA WORTMANN OPEN raffle raised money for two charity projects. One was for "Good Hope" from Halle, which is primarily dedicated to educational projects in Tanzania, but also provides massive support for families and children in elementary need in the country. "Our work is literally vital. Without our help, many people there would no longer be able to live," said Good Hope Chairman Frank Maser. On the other hand, the raffle proceeds went to Olympic champion Alexander Zverev's foundation. In the run-up to the tournament, the foundation had also organized a children's training session at the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN. The main prize of the raffle was a business class flight for two to Dubai, donated by tournament sponsor Emirates.
