HAMBURG, October 24, 2025
German teenager Justin Engel has reached the semi-finals of the Hamburg Ladies & Gents Cup after winning a thrilling match against Matej Dodig of Croatia on Friday afternoon. In front of packed stands and with a lot of support from the crowd at the venue of the Hamburger Tennis-Verband, Engel saved two match points in the third set to secure a 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) victory.
Despite winning 11 points less than his opponent, the No. 4 seed of the ATP Challenger Tour 50 tournament prevailed after two hours and 17 minutes.
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“It was really fun on court today with all the spectators,” a relieved Engel told Tennis TourTalk afterwards. “Tie-breaks are key this week. I often have a good start and luck is also on my side. Let’s hope it will continue like this.”
Engel has returned to Northern Germany for the second time this year after earning a first-round win at the Hamburg Open against his compatriot Jan-Lennard Struff. It’s his first time competing in the ATP Challenger event but the 18-year-old Bavarian knows the venue pretty well.
“I won my first ITF Juniors title here and feel comfortable here. Since winning against Struff at the Rothenbaum ATP event, Hamburg is one of my favourite cities in Germany – alongside Munich. I am here with my manager Charly Steeb and of course, we go out for dinner and I have just good memories of the city,” Engel said and added about his goals for the rest of the season:
“The goal is to reach the Next Gen Finals and to return to the Top 200 after I had lost some points in recent times. Of course, I would also like to get into the Australian Open.”
Engel started the year by lifting the trophy at the ITF World Tennis Tour M15 Cadolzburg Open, his home tournament close to Nuremberg. “Winning a Challenger would be milestone,” Engel stated. “I played many good matches but there was often a lack of consistency. I have already played two Challenger semis and I hope to get into the final here.”
Next up for the World No. 235 will be Spaniard Alejandro Moro Canas, who rallied from a set down to outlast Belgian qualifier Buvaysar Gadamauri, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and 10 minutes.
Loffhagen takes out defending champion
In other quarterfinal action, George Loffhagen knocked out defending champion Henri Squire 6-4, 7-6(5). The fifth-seeded Briton fired 17 aces and won 81 per cent of his first-service points to seal victory in one hour and 17 minutes.
“It was a tough match. The key was taking a couple of opportunities when they were there. But it was very tight, as we were both serving very well,” Loffhagen told Tennis TourTalk.
Loffhagen, who is staying in Hamburg for the first time, will next play Italian teenager Federico Cina. The No. 6 seed from Sicily beat Tom Gentzsch of Germany 6-2, 6-2 in 68 minutes.
