Tennis pro Yannick Hanfmann managed a surprise in preparation for Wimbledon.
In Mallorca he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas – the number one seed.
The 31-year-old from Karlsruhe celebrated a 6: 4, 3: 6, 6: 2 victory over the defending Greek champion in the grass tournament. Tsitsipas is number five in the world, Hanfmann had never defeated such a high-ranked professional.
The success be “very special”said Hanfmann: “I haven’t had top ten wins that often in my career. That’s why it’s a nice win, especially on grass. I feel good on grass. I played a great match.”
First quarterfinals on grass
Hanfmann reached a quarter-finals on the ATP tour for the twelfth time, for the first time on grass. In the round of the top eight in Santa Ponça, the man from Karlsruhe now meets the Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. “The boy can play. He’s an awkward one on grass”said Hanfmann about the 41-year-old Lopez: “If I keep playing well, I’ll get my chances.”
After a good few weeks, Hanfmann is currently in the top 50 in the world rankings for the first time and is in 48th place. He is preparing for Wimbledon in Mallorca. The third Grand Slam-Tournament of the season starts on Monday (7/3/2023) and runs until July 16th.