Headed by Laura Siegemund, the winner of the 2017 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, 14 players from the various Porsche teams were in the starting line-up. The biggest upset was caused by the youngest player. Nastasja Schunk, the promising 16-year old youngster and member of the Porsche Talent Team, showed that big names held no fears for her and celebrated impressive wins against her experienced rivals. She beat Anna-Lena Friedsam and Tamara Korpatsch in the semifinals. At the start of the finals, she handed the No. 1 seed Laura Siegemund, who had previously won all her 12 matches, her first defeat. The Porsche talent went on to claim fourth place in the tennis series launched by the German Tennis Association with support from Porsche.
After a comfortable start in the competition with group matches in the preliminary and intermediate rounds as well as in the semifinals, top favourite Laura Siegemund, world ranked No. 65, was forced to retire early in the finals due to illness. During the course of the tournament series, Anna-Lena Friedsam, her Porsche Team Germany teammate, and Katharina Gerlach from the Porsche Talent Team were both hit by injury. Though they had qualified for the finals, they were unable to compete and were duly replaced by Anna Zaja and Tamara Korpatsch who eventually faced each other for the overall win. After the final, they were both not only delighted at receiving the prize money checks but also a voucher for the Porsche Driving Programme at the new Porsche Experience Center Hockenheimring track.
Of the original 24 starters that competed in the preliminary round in Stuttgart, Darmstadt and Versmold on 16 June, 12 qualified for the intermediate round in Darmstadt, Versmold and Hannover. Eight participants then booked a ticket for the semifinals in Darmstadt. The top four went on to compete for the overall win in Versmold. The round robin tournament series and the additional play-offs for the placings generated a total of 120 matches.
Porsche donates 20,000 euro for a good cause
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The German Ladies’ Series presented by Porsche was not only a sporting success. As a part of the “Aces for Charity” campaign, Porsche donated 50 euro for every ace hit during the course of the tournament series. In the total of 120 matches, the players hit 385 aces – and Porsche rounded up the total donation to 20,000 euro. The sum will be split equally between the “Stiftung Agapedia” foundation that organises a variety of projects for children in need and the regional “Landessportverband Baden-Württemberg e.V.” sports association that supports the nationwide “Integration through Sport” campaign. The checks were presented by the two finalists, Tamara Korpatsch and Anna Zaja, at the victory ceremony. The best server in the tournament field was Anna Zaja – she contributed 40 aces to the success of the campaign. The sports car manufacturer’s charitable activities have a long tradition in tennis. As a part of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, it has supported charitable and non-profit making organisations for a long time.
