Dutch tennis player Arantxa Rus has been knocked out in the first round of the WTA tournament in Hamburg (a clay-court event on Germany's northern coast), losing convincingly to Elina Avanesyan of Russia-Armenian descent, 2–6, 1–6. Rus, 35, who won the Hamburg title in 2023 and reached the final the following year, entered this year's main draw through qualifying but struggled with her serve and could not handle Avanesyan's heavy topspin, falling 0–5 down in the opening set. Rus was the only Dutch player in the main draw after compatriot Eva Vedder failed to progress through qualifying.