Engel's high flight continues in Halle

Yannick Hanfmann has survived the first qualifying round and will have the chance to play in the main draw of the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN on Sunday for the third time after 2021 and 2023. In 2017, 2022 and 2024, the player from Karlsruhe, currently ranked 135th in the world, failed to qualify in Halle. On Saturday, he defeated Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka by a clear 6:4 and 6:1 in the end. His opponent in one of four qualifying finals is now Nicolas Jarry. The Chilean, who defeated Learner Tien (USA) 6:3 and 6:4, was ranked 16th in the world a year ago and is currently ranked 150th.

After his high-flying performance at the ATP tournament in Stuttgart (the 17-year-old made it through to the quarter-finals - it was only on Friday that he lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime in two sets), Justin Engel (ATP 281) is also in a winning mood in Halle: in the first qualifying round, he defeated Roman Safiullin (ATP 74) 6:7, 7:6 and 7:5 after 2 hours and 45 minutes in a dramatic match on the very well-filled Schauinsland-Reisen-Court. Engel fended off a match point in the tie-break of the second set. It was a match of serves. There was no break until 5:5 in the third set and each player was able to fend off six break points. Justin Engel capitalised on the seventh, Safiullin had no chance with the Nuremberg player's subsequent service. The cheers from the crowd were huge. Engel will now fight for a place in the main draw on Sunday against Austrian Sebastian Ofner (two-set win against Benjamin Hassan).

Well fought, but unfortunately lost: Wildcard player Max Schönhaus gave his all in qualifying round one, but lost 5:7, 6:3, 2:6 to Jesper de Jong from the Netherlands. 17-year-old Soest, who is still ranked above 1000 in the world rankings, played well against the top 100 man. The servers dominated the first set until Schönhaus let up a little at the end and allowed his opponent to break with a double fault. The German youngster, who recently reached the French Open junior final, did better in the second set - equalising the set. However, the Dutchman's class prevailed in the deciding set. Schönhaus put up a fight, but conceded two breaks and had to concede defeat.

The second German wildcard player Patrick Zahraj is also out. The Giessen player had no real chance of winning against the number 1 qualifier, Benjamin Bonzi from France, losing 3:6, 4:6. Bonzi will now play Li Tu from Australia, who defeated Ethan Quinn (USA) 5:7, 6:3 and 7:5.

In the duel between the experienced ATP pros, 30-year-old Serbian Laslo Djere defeated 33-year-old Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili in two sets 7:5 and 6:3. The next disappointment for Basilashvili, who is based at the Breakpoint base in Halle and used to play for TC Blau-Weiß Halle in the Bundesliga. In 2025, the world number 120 has not yet collected that many points at ATP level, now the early exit at the 32nd TERRA WORTMANN OPEN. Laslo Djere will now face Jesper de Jong in the qualifying final.