DSQV Esche Cup: van der Heijden and Rapp Victorious

Dutch No.1 Milou van der Heijden and Germany’s Valentin Rapp were victorious at the DSQV Sportwerk Series: Esche Cup in Hamburg this weekend.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event was run with a restricted entry list, and van der Heijden was the top seed in the women’s draw, while Rapp was the No.3 seed in the men’s event.

The Dutchwoman came into this event after 14 months way from the Tour, having not played competitively since featuring in Calgary in March of last year. She received a bye through to the quarter-finals, where she faced Frenchwoman Ella Galova.

She got the better of the event’s No.6 seed in straight games, before coming up against Germany’s Katerina Tycova. Their semi-final clash went the distance, with van der Heijden losing two games on lengthy tie-breaks. However, she was able to fight her way through, winning 11-7 in the last.

The World No.34 then faced Germany’s Saskia Beinhard, the event’s No.2 seed, in the final, and the Dutchwoman came through with ease, winning in straight games in just 22 minutes.

The men’s draw was won by No.3 seed Valentin Rapp, with the German coming through four matches to claim his second title of 2021, thanks to defeating Dutch No.1 Roshan Bharos in straight games in the final.

The German, who currently sits at World No.119, received a bye through to the second round, before then overcoming Felix Gobel and Willi Wingelsdorf to make it through to the last eight of the tournament.

There, Rapp came across the draw’s top seed, Yannik Omlor, and fell behind following the opening game. However, he bounced back to win 3-1, before then defeating Bharos in straight games in the final to claim his second title of the year.

Results: DSQV Sportwerk Series: Esche Cup
Men’s Final
[3] Valentin Rapp (GER) bt [2] Roshan Bharos (NED) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-3 (46m)

Women’s Final
[1] Milou van der Heijden (NED) bt [2] Saskia Beinhard (GER) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-5 (22m)

Men’s Semi-Finals
[3] Valentin Rapp (GER) bt [1] Yannik Omlor (GER) 3-1: 6-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 (48m)
[2] Roshan Bharos (NED) bt [16] Carsten Schoor (NED) 3-1: 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 14-12 (52m)

Women’s Semi-Finals
[1] Milou van der Heijden (NED) bt [4] Katerina Tycova (GER) 3-2: 13-15, 11-7, 11-3, 10-12, 11-7 (54m)
[2] Saskia Beinhard (GER) bt [3] Aylin Gunsav (GER) 3-0: 11-4, 11-1, 11-3 (18m)

Men’s Quarter-Finals
[1] Yannik Omlor (GER) bt [5] Tobias Weggen (GER) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (23m)
[3] Valentin Rapp (GER) bt [8] Willi Wingelsdorf (GER) 3-0: 11-8, 11-1, 11-2 (26m)
[16] Carsten Schoor (GER) bt [4] Tarek Shehata (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 12-10 (33m)
[2] Roshan Bharos (NED) bt [6] Julius Benthin (GER) 3-2: 4-11, 7-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-9 (78m)

Women’s Quarter-Finals
[1] Milou van der Heijden (NED) bt [6] Ella Galova (FRA) 3-0: 12-10, 11-5, 11-6 (22m)
[4] Katerina Tycova (GER) bt Lucie Mahrle (GER) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-3 (16m)
[3] Aylin Gunsav (GER) bt [8] Naomi Nohar (NED) 3-1: 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9 (37m)
[2] Saskia Beinhard (GER) bt [5] Jacqueline Peychar (AUT) 3-1: 11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5 (36m)

Men’s Round Two
[1] Yannik Omlor (GER) bt [11] Norman Junge (GER) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (27m)
[5] Tobias Weggen (GER) bt [9] Lennard Hinrichs (GER) 3-0: 11-2, 11-3, 11-4 (16m)
[8] Willi Wingelsdorf (GER) bt [12] Jan Wipperfurth (GER) 3-1: 9-11, 14-12, 12-10, 11-7 (52m)
[3] Valentin Rapp (GER) bt Felix Gobel (GER) 3-0: 11-9, 11-4, 11-9 (23m)
[4] Tarek Shehata (EGY) bt Simon Wolter (GER) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-9 (21m)
[16] Carsten Schoor (GER) bt [7] Fynn Schuck (GER) 3-1: 4-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 (41m)
[6] Julius Benthin (GER) bt [14] Hendrik Vossing (GER) 3-0: 12-10, 11-2, 11-3 (27m)
[2] Roshan Bharos (NED) bt [13] Christoph Bluhm ((GER) 3-0: 11-2, 11-3, 11-3 (23m)

Women’s Round One
[6] Ella Galova (FRA) bt Mai-Ly Nguyen (GER) 3-0: 11-2, 11-2, 11-3 (15m)
Lucie Mahrle (GER) bt [7] Lea-Iris Murrizi (GER) 3-2: 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-9 (35m)
[4] Katerina Tycova (GER) bt Laura Goulding (GER) 3-0: 11-1, 11-2, 11-1 (13m)
[8] Naomi Nohar (NED) bt Anna Karina Moreno Kopp (GER) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-3 (15m)
[5] Jacqueline Peychar (AUT) bt Lisa Seidensticker (GER) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 (18m)

Men’s Round One
[11] Norman Junge (GER) bt Julius Winkler (GER) 3-1: 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7 (38m)
[9] Lennard Hinrichs (GER) bt Fabian Igelbrink (GER) 3-1: 11-3, 7-11, 11-4, 11-6 (64m)
[8] Willi Wingelsdorf (GER) bt Youssef Elgammal (GER) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-3 (25m)
[12] Jan Wipperfurth (GER) bt Paul Ecker (GER) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 (19m)
Felix Gobel (GER) bt [15] Max Plettenberg (GER) 3-2: 6-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9 (54m)
Simon Wolter (GER) bt [10] Dennis Welte (GER) 3-0: 14-12, 11-8, 11-3 (24m)
[16] Carsten Schoor (GER) bt Paul WIngelsdorf (GER) 3-1: 11-4, 11-5, 13-15, 11-4 (32m)
[14] Hendrik Vossing (GER) bt Nils Herzberg (GER) 3-0: 11-1, 11-1, 11-7 (17m)
[13] Christoph Bluhm (GER) bt Florian Stoger (GER) 3-1: 11-9, 11-5, 14-16, 11-3 (41m)