In a match-up between two WTA final debutantes, Dutch veteran Arantxa Rus defeated German teenager Noma Noha Akugue 6-0 7-6(3) to win her first career title at the Hamburg European Open.
For Rus, this week marks the pinnacle of her 15-year-long professional career that began in 2008. On Monday, the 32-year-old rose to a career-high WTA ranking of No.60, an advancement of one spot from her previous best ranking accomplished way back in 2012. Six days later, she added a WTA 250 title to her biography, becoming the oldest first-time title-winner in the last 40 years.
The seventh-seeded Rus’ path to the Hamburg European Open title included victories over Maria Timofeeva, Nadia Podoroska, Eva Lys, Daria Saville, and lastly world No.207 Noma Noha Akugue. She is projected to break into the Top 50 of the WTA rankings when the new rankings are released on Monday.
