HAGEN, August 3, 2025

Yannick Hanfmann has made an impressive return to the ATP Challenger Tour. With his victory at the fifth edition of the Platzmann Open – held for the first time at Tennis Club Rot-Weiß Hagen – the 33-year-old German claimed his first title since 2020 in Todi, Italy.

It was no easy Sunday for Hanfmann. First, he had to complete his weather-delayed semifinal against Swedish qualifier Olle Wallin before facing a gritty three-set battle in the final against sixth seed Guy den Ouden from the Netherlands.

In the €91,250 clay-court tournament, Hanfmann had already come dangerously close to an early exit in the second round, when he was down 5-2 in the deciding set against Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov. But just like then, he fought his way through again, this time in front of a packed crowd of around 1,000 spectators on Center Court. After dropping the opening set, the Karlsruhe native shifted gears and showed off a more varied, strategic game to ultimately prevail 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 after one hour and 43 minutes.

Back in the winners’ circle!

Yannick Hanfmann clinches his 7th ATP Challenger career title, his first triumph since 2020 by winning the 2025 Platzmann Open in Hagen. Three-set victory over Guy den Ouden. #ATPChallenger #Hagen pic.twitter.com/7nesnHJYAG

— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) August 3, 2025

“Maybe I was the fresher player in the end,” Hanfmann told Tennis TourTalk afterward. Den Ouden had played his semifinal earlier the same day when he beat No. 4 seed Jerome Kym of Switzerland 6-1, 6-2. “Guy played a great first set, but then his energy seemed to fade a little, and I was able to raise my level.”

Asked about his decisive moment during the week, Hanfmann referred to his second-round battle. “I was basically out of the tournament already. I was down 5-2 in the third, facing match points. And then suddenly you’re standing here in the final and you win. Sometimes those are the key moments of the week.”

Hanfmann, who has mostly competed on the ATP Tour in recent months and years, added: “Of course I still hope to win a title on the main tour, but it’s also very special to win a Challenger in Germany.”

In Hagen, Hanfmann was accompanied by his new team led by Serbian coach Petar Popovic. But his focus will soon shift to a different goal: winning the German national team championship with TC Bredeney next weekend in the Tennis Channel Bundesliga. With two matchdays remaining, the team from Essen is leading the standings. However, the German Davis Cup player won’t be on court to help seal the title. “Unfortunately, I’ll already be in the United States, but I’ll definitely be following the guys live on the ticker and cheering them on,” Hanfmann said.

Rogier Wassen pleased with first Hagen edition

Overall, the 2025 edition of the Platzmann Open was a success. “The weather was a bit of a challenge towards the end of the week, and we had to reschedule some matches. But in the end, everything went smoothly, and I’m proud of how the tournament unfolded,” tournament director Rogier Wassen summarized.

After three years in Lüdenscheid, the tournament moved within North Rhine-Westphalia about 30 kilometers northeast to Hagen. “We were looking for a venue that could offer us a bit more – larger facilities, more space,” Wassen explained the decision. “I knew the club from my old Bundesliga days, our main sponsor is based in Hagen, and the Rot-Weiß board was incredibly enthusiastic about hosting the tournament. So for us, it was a logical move. We had around 6,000 spectators on-site this week, double the number we had in Lüdenscheid. From that perspective, it was absolutely the right decision,” said the former Top 25 doubles player, who also confirmed that the Platzmann Open will return in 2026 – possibly even bigger than before.