Queen of Queen's: Age no barrier for champ mum-of-two
German qualifier Tatjana Maria has become the first woman to win a title at Queen's Club since 1973 after beating eighth seed Amanda Anisimova 6-3 6-4 on the Andy Murray Arena.
The 37-year-old mother-of-two claimed the biggest title of her career on Sunday to cap off the first women's tournament held at the historic west London venue in 52 years.
It was a family affair for Maria, whose daughters, 11-year-old Charlotte and four-year-old Cecilia, joined her husband and coach Charles-Edouard Maria in the front row to watch her dispatch American Anisimova in one hour and 23 minutes.
What means the most 🩶@Maria_Tatjana | #HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/l9URE3JuKN
— wta (@WTA) June 15, 2025
Maria, who knocked out top-20 players Karolina Muchova, Elena Rybakina and Madison Keys en route, becomes the oldest player ever to win a WTA 500 event and the most venerable in any tour singles event since 2020, when Serena Williams - who also returned to tennis after having children - won in Auckland at 38.
"It means a lot to me, because I'm 37 years old and I won this trophy today," said Maria, who confirmed she would like her career to last for at least another two years so she can play doubles as soon as her eldest is eligible.
"In the past, people were always saying, 'you're too old', but actually I'm a good example that even at my age, you can still win big trophies.
"I'm super proud of myself that I could win this tournament, because I always believed, and my husband too.
"That's why we kept going, because there was aways this belief that I could win big tournaments and do great things on the tour, so I'm really, really proud of this."
Maria replaces Olga Morozova, who once coached a young Andy Murray after whom the club's centre court is now named, as the most recent female winner at Queen's.
Fittingly, she marked the venue's new chapter by scribbling "queen of Queen's" on the TV camera lens.
Maria entered this WTA 500 tournament at 86th in the rankings, but the triumph will catapult her to No.43 when they update on Monday -- when Emma Raducanu will also officially take over from Katie Boulter as British No.1.
The 2022 German Wimbledon semi-finalist Maria won her first WTA title on grass at Mallorca in 2018, following it with back-to-back clay court trophies at Bogota in 2023.
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Likewise the winner of Group B will play Group A's runner-up. If the standings are tied on points, it will come down to head to head records rather than goal difference. Here are groups A and B… Group A Al Ahly (Egypt, CAF) Inter Miami (USA, Concacaf) Palmeiras (Brazil, CONMEBOL) Porto (Portugal, UEFA) Group B Paris Saint-Germain (France, UEFA) Atletico Madrid (Spain, UEFA) Botafogo (Brazil, CONMEBOL) Seattle Sounders (USA, Concacaf) Getty Images On the big screen at the Hard Rock Stadium, the concentric circles of the Club World Cup spun like the rings of a new planet. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the master of this universe, called it a 'big bang moment in the history of football,' and it was finally here. Would his new competition explode into life or flame out? Hours before kick-off, Infantino was already in the ground observing the final preparations for the inaugural game between Al Ahly and Inter Miami. 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Inter Miami met Egyptian champions Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium and, for the entirety of the first half, it looked like the MLS representative might be embarrassed on the global stage. But Oscar Ustari saved a 43rd-minute penalty and it sparked his side into life. In the end, Miami left the pitch frustrated with a goalless draw as, led by Lionel Messi, they enjoyed a host of decent late chances. Unfortunately for them, they found Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy in inspired form, with his last-minute fingertip save to deny Messi a world-class winner proving to be the highlight. GO FURTHER Al Ahly 0, Inter Miami 0 – Messi comes close as 60,000 take in lively Club World Cup opener Getty Images Get used to being able to enjoy a handful of matches every day for this opening fortnight of the tournament. 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