Veteran qualifier Tatjana Maria completes fairy-tale run to Queen’s title

Germany's Tatjana Maria poses with the trophy as she celebrates with her husband Charles-Edouard Maria and daughters Charlotte and Cecilia after winning the final against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. PHOTO: Action Images via Reuters

UPDATED Jun 16, 2025, 12:39 AM

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LONDON – Tatjana Maria completed her fairy-tale run at Queen’s Club as the German qualifier beat American Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-4 in the final on June 15 to become the oldest winner of a WTA 500 event.

The 37-year-old’s victory secured the fourth singles title of her career, and her first since 2023 on the clay in Bogota.

World No. 86 Maria is the first German to win a WTA 500 title since Angelique Kerber in 2018 in Sydney.

In the first women’s tournament at Queen’s since 1973, Maria is the event’s first female champion since Soviet player Olga Morozova 52 years ago.

When Morozova won in west London, the prize money was just £1,000. Maria banked a cheque for £120,000 (S$208,800) and more importantly earned a huge confidence boost ahead of Wimbledon, which starts on June 30.

The mother of two arrived at Queen’s on a nine-match losing streak and had to survive two rounds of qualifying matches to reach the main draw.

Deploying her slice-heavy style to devastating effect, she stunned sixth seed Karolina Muchova, fourth seed Elena Rybakina and reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys en route to the final.

Maria, who has taken two maternity breaks from the WTA Tour, has never been past the second round of any Grand Slam except Wimbledon, where she reached the semi-finals in 2022.

But once again she proved a formidable force on grass, brushing aside Anisimova to secure her second title on the surface as her husband and daughters Charlotte, 11, and Cecilia, four, watched from courtside.

“A dream come true. I came here I was never thinking I could hold the trophy at the end,” Maria said.

“When we arrived, my little girl said: ‘Wow that’s a nice trophy, so big’ and I said: ‘OK let’s go for it, I will try to win it’. And in the end I’ve won it, it’s incredible.

“Everything is possible if you believe in it. You go your way, doesn’t matter which it is, but you have to keep going. I want to show this to my kids and hopefully they are proud. It’s amazing.”

Asked if she planned to celebrate with her family, Maria said: “For sure. This doesn’t happen every week so we have to celebrate with something.

“I think the kids will probably want some crepes with Nutella!”

Anisimova has struggled to live up to her early success after reaching the French Open semi-finals aged 17 in 2019.

She took an eight-month break from tennis and dropped out of the top 400 after suffering with depression bought on by the scrutiny and expectations that came with being a teen prodigy.

The 23-year-old returned in 2024 and won the Qatar Open this February, reaching a career-high 15th in the rankings before underlining her renaissance by defeating Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen to reach her first grass-court final.

However, Maria was too savvy on grass for Anisimova, who said: “It’s incredible to see Tatjana playing at this level. To have her family here, it’s super special.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see her in the Wimbledon final. She really had me running out there today.”

Meanwhile, men’s world No. 7 Taylor Fritz claimed his first title of 2025 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) win over top seed and third-ranked Alexander Zverev in the Stuttgart Open final on June 15, extending his winning streak against the German to five matches.

Fritz is set to rise to fourth in the rankings ahead of the June 30-July 13 Wimbledon, while Zverev continues his hunt for a first title on a grass surface. AFP

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