(Provided by Tennis World USA)
Noma Noha Akugue, 19, reveals she is drawing inspiration from Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams as the rising German star thinks having “a poker face” on the court is a very good thing. Akugue, who entered this week ranked at No 207 in the world, stunningly made her first WTA final in Hamburg as a wildcard.
In Hamburg, 19-year-old Akugue played her first WTA main draw match. En route to making the Hamburg final, Akugue clinched several upset wins – including the one over 2022 French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan. In the Hamburg final, Akugue suffered a straight-set defeat after Arantxa Rus defeated the German 6-0 7-6 (3).“I like her poker face.
She’s also an aggressive player. She’s similar to me, that’s why I like her. It’s also important to see a Black woman in tennis — Serena as well, of course. It’s good for young players,” Akugue told the WTA website.
Akugue drawing inspiration from Osaka, Williams
“I try to keep my emotions to myself,” Akugue added.Against former world No 18 Trevisan, Akugue was trying not to show many emotions but the 19-year-old German was definitely feeling a lot inside herself as she knew beating a Grand Slam semifinalist…
