Protecting the soccer balls: details revealed
Rising Star Ella Seidel Makes Waves at Cincinnati Masters
Ella Seidel, a 20-year-old tennis player from Hamburg, is currently on a winning streak at the Masters tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, before the US Open. This tournament, with a total prize money of approximately $5.2 million, serves as a warm-up for many professionals before the last Grand Slam tournament of the season in New York.
Seidel's most notable career achievement to date is reaching the Round of 16 (R16) at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters. This marked her debut in a WTA 1000 main draw event. She reached this milestone at age 20, upsetting seeded players Emma Navarro and McCartney Kessler before losing in the fourth round to Varvara Gracheva.
This performance represents her best result on the WTA Tour so far, with a career record of approximately 140-94 matches across WTA, Grand Slams, and ITF tournaments, and a win rate around 60%. Despite the strong showing in Cincinnati 2025, Ella Seidel has yet to win a WTA title.
Seidel's win over Kessler (26) marks the biggest achievement of her career so far. The match, which lasted for 2 hours and 24 minutes, was due to luck, nerve strength, and a good serve. Prior to this tournament, Seidel had unexpectedly defeated the eighth-seeded American Emma Navarro. However, Seidel injured her right foot during her Wimbledon debut and was not yet in top form before the Cincinnati tournament.
Seidel is currently ranked 124th in the world. She is recognized for an aggressive baseline game, especially strong forehand use, combined with resilience under pressure. During the Cincinnati tournament, she was training without a full-time coach, instead borrowing a mentor from German doubles specialists Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz.
After Cincinnati, Seidel continued solid form by qualifying into the 2025 US Open main draw, winning the first qualifying round convincingly against Kathinka Von Deichmann, and was set to face a former top-75 player, Sachia Vickery.
In the upcoming matches, Seidel will face either Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva or Czech Karolina Muchova for a place in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, only Alexander Zverev remains in the men's draw of the WTA tournament. Notably, Zverev is the Olympic champion from Tokyo.
Unfortunately, Laura Siegemund, Eva Lys, and Tatjana Maria have already been eliminated from the WTA tournament. Despite the elimination of some top players, Seidel's consistent winning record, especially on hard courts, suggests steady progress in her professional tennis career.
Ella Seidel's impressive run in the Cincinnati Masters has garnered attention in the world of sports-analysis, given her recent victories in tennis. Her performance, including the upset of McCartney Kessler, is being closely analyzed due to her aggressive baseline game and resilience under pressure.
