Noma Noha Akugue lost twelve tennis games in a row between September 2023 and February 2024. Twice the German hopeful even had to admit defeat to players who were not ranked among the top 400 in the world at the time of the match. In total, the 20-year-old only won three sets during this time – then came the W75 tournament in Porto.
On Sunday, the Hungarian Anna Bondar (number 111 in the world rankings) was one size too big in the final of the Porto tennis tournament (W75): With her second match point, Bondar sealed Noma Noha Akugue’s defeat in the final, 6:7 and 2:6 lost – but must still have been extremely satisfied.
After months without success on the tour, Noma Noha Akugue only celebrated a few victories at the German championships in December 2023 in Biberach, the German is impressively returning to winning ways.
In Portugal, Noha Akugue first surprisingly swept the Romanian Elena Gabriela Ruse (number 158 in the world rankings) off the court with 6:2 and 6:1, then beat local hero Francisca Jorge (199th) in the round of 16 with 6:4, 3: 6 and 6:2 through. Then she defeated the Spaniard Leyre Romero Gormaz (290th) and ultimately moved into the final with a 6:4 and 7:5 win against the Dutchwoman Suzan Lamens (196th).
German tennis hope makes up places
Despite the defeat in the final, Noha Akugue climbed 19 places in the world rankings to 183rd, but what may be more important is the renewed belief in her own abilities.
Now that the horror series of the last few months is finally history, the 2020 German champion will soon want to finally turn the mixed statistics in her favor. In Porto, Noha Akugue reached a singles final for the tenth time in her professional career and left the court as a loser for the ninth time. Only in May 2022 did she win the small W15 tournament in Cairo.
In view of some extremely close final decisions, the DTB hopeful has absolute confidence that her second tournament victory won’t take forever.