Raluca Georgiana Șerban vs Tamara Korpatsch

WTA Hamburg R1 Preview: Raluca Georgiana Șerban vs Tamara Korpatsch

🧠 Form & Context

Raluca Georgiana Șerban

• 🎢 Inconsistent season: Holds a 21–21 record in 2025, with a solid 13–10 mark on clay, but only one WTA main-draw win (Bogotá).
• 🛠️ Grinding route: Known for long battles—many recent matches have gone to three sets, including Wimbledon qualies and German ITFs.
• 🚨 Struggles vs top 150: Has repeatedly fallen short when facing higher-ranked players, often in straight sets.
• 📍 Hamburg debut: First WTA main-draw appearance here, though familiar with German clay courts from the ITF circuit.

Tamara Korpatsch

• 🏠 Home-court comfort: A Hamburg native with strong results here—QF in 2024 and R16 in both 2021 and 2023.
• 🔥 Clay-court résumé: Nearly 300 career clay wins and a 16–10 clay record this season, including a title in Trnava and QF run in Madrid ITF.
• 📉 Late-match risk: Has blown leads in several matches after winning the first set (e.g., vs Barthel and Starodubtseva).
• 🩼 Minor injury scare: Retired from a match in late May but has returned to full play since then.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Korpatsch’s tactical variety and ability to break up baseline patterns make her the clear favorite here. Her drop shots, high-looping forehands, and comfort on slow clay give her a strategic advantage against Șerban’s flatter, more rigid baseline style.

Unless Korpatsch falls into her familiar trap of losing focus after leading, she should control this match. The Hamburg crowd and her experience at this venue should add to her edge. Șerban’s tenacity may force longer rallies, but Korpatsch is built for that.

🔮 Prediction

Prediction: Korpatsch in 2 sets. One set might go long, but she should come through with cleaner point construction and better court feel.