19-year-old German tennis player Noma Noha Akugue says her father is a fan of Steffi Graf

Noma Noha Akugue recently revealed that her father is a fan of Steffi Graf.

The 19-year-old Akugue made a name for herself during the Hamburg European Open, which was her debut on the WTA tour. She received a wildcard for the WTA 250 event and started with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Laura Pigossi.

The German then did a splendid job coming back from a set down to defeat Storm Hunter 0-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 and reach the quarterfinals. There, she scripted another comeback to defeat Martina Trevisan 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 and book her place in the semifinals.

Akugue triumphed 6-3, 6-3 over Daria Shnaider to reach her maiden WTA singles final, where she was beaten 6-0, 7-6 (3) by seventh seed Arantxa Rus.

The German spoke to the WTA after the tournament and said that her father Ronald Obazelu, who is a boxer, is a fan of Steffi Graf. She added that while her father did not have much of an affinity for tennis, he became an admirer of the 22-time Grand Slam champion as her peak coincided with the time when he emigrated from Nigeria to Germany.

---

Noma Noha Akugue on her admiration for Naomi Osaka

Noma Noha Akugue in action at the Hamburg European Open

During her interview with WTA, Akugue also spoke about her admiration for Naomi Osaka, saying that she liked the Japanese's poker face. The 19-year-old added that she liked Osaka because she was "similar" to her.

"I like her poker face," Akugue said. "She's also an aggressive player. She's similar to me, that's why I like her. It's also important to see a Black woman in tennis , Serena as well, of course. It's good for young players."

Akugue has mostly competed on the ITF circuit so far this season, but has also taken part in the qualifying rounds of a few tournaments. The German attempted to qualify for the French Open and Wimbledon in 2023 but lost in the second round of qualifying on each occasion.

Akugue's run at the Hamburg European Open will see her rise 65 spots, to a new career-high ranking of 142. It will be interesting to see how the German fares if she enters the qualifiers for the US Open.