Day 9
Iga Swiatek is the new and old tennis queen of Stuttgart. Like last year, the world No. 1 comfortably beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the 46th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix to secure herself a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo. In front of a capacity 4,400 crowd in the Porsche Arena, the Pole, who last year won the French and US Opens, appeared a certain winner from the middle of the first set. Above all in the crunch moments, she showed her extra class against. the world No. 2. After one hour 50 minutes, she converted her first match point, before joyously letting her racket drop to the ground and raising both arms in celebration. “Right from the first rally, I knew it was going to be a good day,” said the 21-year-old who remains undefeated in Stuttgart. “I’m very pleased with my performance as I stayed very focussed for the whole match.”
For Iga Swiatek, who has recovered from a rib injury in the past few weeks, and who improved from round to round in Stuttgart, her triumph in the Porsche Arena is her 13th career tournament win and the third time she has successfully defended a title. She previously achieved the feat in Rome (2021 and 2022) and in Doha (2022 and 2023). “I felt better and better with every match in Stuttgart and was top fit today. It was a great performance from me,” said the happy winner who received the trophy from Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Porsche AG Supervisory Board. “I love the atmosphere here in the Porsche Arena. I’ll probably come back every year.” Aryna Sabalenka, who reached her third final in her third appearance, also announced that she wants to play the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix again next year: “I’ll try and try again until I can drive away the winner’s car.”
Doubles final – Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs celebrate again
After the singles trophy ceremony, the Porsche Arena crowd were treated to the doubles final. Desirae Krawczyk (USA) and Demi Schuurs (Netherlands) defeated Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) and Giuliana Oimos (Mexico) in two straight sets 6-4, 6-1. The win secured them their second consecutive title.
“Aces for Charity” – Porsche donates 120,000 euro for a good cause
Not only was the 46th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix a success, but also the “Aces for Charity” campaign which has been a fixture for many years at the long-standing Stuttgart tournament. To mark 75 years of Porsche sports cars and inspired by the Porsche 356 “Number 1” – the first sports car manufactured by the company – Porsche has donated 356 euro for every ace stuck. A total of 253 aces were sent down up until the final and Porsche rounded up the sum to 120,000 euro. The money has been divided up equally between the “Stiftung Agapedia” foundation, the “Landessportverband Baden-Württemberg” sports association and the “Ferry-Porsche-Stiftung” foundation. The cheques were handed over by Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board, Production and Logistics of Porsche AG. Karolina Pliskova played a major part in increasing the donation as the Czech delivered 26 aces in her three matches.
The audience was “warmed up” for the final by the world-famous Stuttgart Ballet. The dancers presented an extract from Roman Novitzky’s piece titled “Impuls” and together with a combination of drumming and light for fascinating images.
“We’re very happy and satisfied with this year’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix,” said Tournament Director Markus Günthardt. “A total of 31,000 spectators came along to the Porsche Arena and they enjoyed an attractive programme of side events for the whole family alongside the world class tennis.”
Day 8
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix has its dream final – Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1, will meet Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 2. Starting at 1 o’clock on Sunday, they will play in the Porsche Arena for the main prize, a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo.
A déjà-vu is awaiting the Porsche Arena crowd as Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka also faced each other on Centre Court last year. After claiming the win in 2022, the Pole then went on to become the season’s stand-out player and crowned her dream season by triumphing at the Grand Slams in Paris and New York. However, her opponent, who is making her third successive appearance in the final, has caught up. She secured her long deserved first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.
First semifinal: Aryna Sabalenka – Anastasia Potapova 6-1, 6-2
Aryna Sabalenka was in a big hurry in her match against Anastasia Potapova. The world No. 2 dominated her opponent right from the first rally and gave the rapidly improving player no chance with her accurate serving and hard groundstrokes. She duly converted her first match point after only 58 minutes. “I wasn’t consciously hitting the ball harder than normal, but I was really focussed today and I just played too good,” said the 24-year-old Australian Open champion. “I wanted to try my best today and I think I played really great tennis. I really want to get the Porsche. It’s a big motivation for me.”
Second semifinal: Iga Swiatek – Ons Jabeur 3-0 (Retirement Jabeur)
What a drama – the second semifinal in the Porsche Arena lasted only three games before Ons Jabeur was forced to retire with a calf injury. The spectators rose to their feet when bidding the Tunisian farewell. Her highly variable style and her likeable manner on and off the court had made her a crowd favourite. Title-holder Iga Swiatek, who as a consequence is back in the final, paid tribute to her opponent. “I’m so sorry for her. That she tried to continue despite being in pain shows what a great athlete she is, and what a strong personality.”
Successful pairing aiming to defend title
Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs are back in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix doubles final. The American/Dutch title-holders defeated Alexa Guarachi (Chile) and Erin Routliffe (New Zealand) in two straight sets 6-1, 7-5 in the first match of the day on Centre Court. They will now be up against Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) and Giuliana Olmos (Mexico) in the final.
On final’s Sunday, the Porsche Arena’s Centre Court will not only stage world class tennis. The afternoon’s proceedings will start at 12.20 pm when the “Aces for Charity” donations are handed over to the “Stiftung Agapedia”, “Landessportverband Baden-Württemberg” and the “Ferry-Porsche-Stiftung” organisations. The money will go to supporting Ukraine aid programmes. Afterwards the world famous Stuttgart Ballet’s performance will get the audience in the mood for the dream final between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.
World champions and Porsche Brand Ambassadors in the Porsche Arena
Amongst the spectators in the sold-out Porsche Arena on Saturday were the Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and Sami Khedira, a member of Germany’s 2014 World Cup winning team. He is also a Porsche Brand Ambassador like the race drivers Timo Bernhard and Jörg Bergmeister who also paid the long-standing Stuttgart tournament a visit to watch Saturday’s semifinals.
Day 7
Excellent quartet: Aryna Sabalenka, Anastasia Potapova, Ons Jabeur and Iga Swiatek are the four top players that will be bidding on Saturday to secure themselves a berth in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. They all prevailed in the Porsche Arena on Friday after, in some cases, hard-fought quarterfinals.
The spectators in the virtually sold-out Porsche Arena on Friday watched exciting and top notch quarterfinal matches. Three of the four matches on Centre Court were only decided in the third set and lasted longer than two hours. It underlines once more just how strong the field is at the long-established event in Stuttgart.
The meeting between Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa in the first match of the day turned out to be the expected high-class and tight affair. Good friends they may be but there was to be no giving of presents. Though she lost the first set, the Australian Open champion kept the upper hand when winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours 30 minutes. “It was a totally crazy match,” said Aryna Sabalenka. “Paula was playing unbelievable tennis the whole time. Somehow, I was able to turn around the match. I’m super happy with the win.” After reaching the final in each of her two appearances in the Porsche Arena, the world No. 2 is once again aiming high saying, “Of course I would like to finally win the tournament this year. I however have to stay focussed and mustn’t think too much about the Porsche you get for winning.”
Anastasia Potapova is and remains the tournament’s giant killer. After knocking-out Coco Gauff out of the tournament on Thursday, the 22-year-old continued her winning ways in the quarterfinal against the No. 4 seed Caroline Garcia. In a relatively even match, the Frenchwoman, the winner of the 2022 WTA Finals, only found her normal form in the first set and was eventually defeated 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. “I didn’t actually play my best tennis today,” said the victor. “Luckily I found a way to read her game better in the third set. I’m happy that it and my good footwork was enough for the win.”
Ons Jabeur was in a hurry in the third quarterfinal. Right from the word go, the Tunisian was wide awake against Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia. There was never any doubt as to the final outcome. The world No. 4 clinched the 6-3, 6-0 win after just 68 minutes with an ace: “My coach will have nothing to say anything about my performance today,” said the 2022 Wimbledon and US Open runner-up. “I can’t play a match any better than that. I had my A-game, especially in the second set and kept making the right decisions.”
At the end of quarterfinals day, the world No. 1 Iga Swiatek again showed just why she is a class act. Though the Pole lost the first set against Karolina Pliskova, the 2018 Stuttgart winner, she improved from game to game to eventually ran a deserved 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 winner. It means the 21-year-old is yet to lose a match in the Porsche Arena and is still in with an excellent chance of defending her title. “She started very well and I on the other hand got off to a slow start,” said the three-time Grand Slam champion. “I’m glad I gradually found my rhythm and was very satisfied with the second set.”
Semifinals on Saturday promise world class tennis
Four players are still in the mix to win the main prize at the 46th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo. The first semifinal at 2 o’clock will be between the giant-killer Anastasia Potapova and the No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka. Scheduled for not before 4 o’clock, the day’s second match will pit the defending champion Iga Swiatek against the No. 3 seed Ons Jabeur.
The doubles matches will take place before and after the singles encounters – at mid-day, Alexa Guarachi (Chile) and Erin Routliffe (New Zealand) will take on last year’s winners Desirae Krawczyk (USA) and Demi Schuurs (Netherlands). The day’s action will come to an end when Veronika Kudermetova and Anastasia Potapova face Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) and Giuliana Olmos (Mexico).
Day 6
Local hero Tatjana Maria put up a brave fight but in the end Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia was simply too strong for the Porsche Team Germany player. A surprise was the elimination of one of the top favourites, Coco Gauff. Four Top 10 players will be in action in the quarterfinals of the long-standing Stuttgart tournament. A thrilled crowd and tight matches on the courts – four Top 10 players were in action on Thursday in the round of the last 16 at the 46th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The spectators in the Porsche Arena all got their money’s worth, even though local hero Tatjana Maria was knocked out. Playing well, the Porsche Team Germany player dug deep against Caroline Garcia but was unable to reward herself. In the end, it was the Frenchwoman 7-6 (5), 6-4 that came out on top. “I had my chances but unfortunately couldn’t take them. It’s a real pity,” said the disappointed 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist. “It was nevertheless nice to see that I can keep in touch with the top players on the WTA Tour. It gives me confidence for the coming weeks.”
“Tatjana plays with a lot of variety and reads the game extremely well. It makes it tricky to play her,” said the No. 4 when praising her opponent. “I’m all the more pleased that I came through in two sets.” In her bid to secure a semifinal berth, she will take on Anastasia Potapova on Friday. The world No. 24 caused an upset when beating one of the favourites, the American Coco Gauff, in two straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. “I like playing on clay, especially indoors. It’s my favourite combination,” said the 22-year-old who won the WTA tournament in Linz in February.
In the day’s first Centre Court match in the Porsche Arena, Karolina Pliskova was kept on edge right up to the final rally against Donna Vekic from Croatia. However, the Czech held her nerve in the tiebreak to run out a 6-2, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) winner after 2 hours 20 minutes. “It wasn’t my best match. I just hoped I wouldn’t lose both tiebreaks,” said the 2018 Stuttgart winner. “For me, it’s super important that I win the tight matches in the end. It gives me confidence for upcoming challenges.”
Awaiting the 31-year-old in the quarterfinals on Friday (not before 6.30 pm) is the world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The 2020 and 2022 French Open champion gave the Chinese Qinwen Zheng no chance when cruising to a 6-1, 6-4 win. “I had to be focussed right from the start, especially because I was still a bit rusty after my injury lay-off,” said last year’s winner from Poland. “On the whole I’m very satisfied. The more matches I play, the quicker I get back to top form.
Paula Badosa among the top 8
Like last year, Paula Badosa has also progressed to the last eight. The Spaniard had little trouble in defeating her countrywoman Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-2 on Court 1. “I played a really good match and am very satisfied with my performance,” said the former world No. 2. “I’m glad to have finally found my game again. The quarterfinals give the 25-year-old the chance to enact revenge for last year’s semifinal defeat against Aryna Sabalenka. The good friends will meet in Friday’s first match at mid-day. “It’s always tough when we play each other. Aryna’s form this year has been incredible. I will have to be wide awake the whole time.”
Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) will be up against the No. 3 seed Ons Jabeur in her quarterfinal match. She profited from the injury enforced retirement of the Wimbledon champion and Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) with the score at 6-1, 3-1.
Day 5
Spectacular rallies, enthralled spectators and five Top 10 players – the fifth day of the 46th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix had a lot to offer. Jule Niemeier had a major role in everything. In her first round match against Elena Rybakina, the Porsche Team Germany pulled off a hot shot through her legs in the well-filled Porsche Arena when 2-1 up in the second set. It brought rapturous applause. “An incredible way to win a point,” lauded her opponent from Kazakhstan. The sensational rally however had no effect on the result. The 2022 Wimbledon champion and Australian Open runner-up, the pre-match favourite, ran out a straight sets 7-5, 6-3 winner to progress to the round of the last 16.
“I came up with two very good matches against top class players here in Stuttgart. I’ll definitely take away lots of positives and even more confidence to the Madrid tournament,” said a highly satisfied Jule Niemeier. Elena Rybakina, who triumphed in Indian Wells, was also happy with her performance: “The match was exhausting. But every match I manage to play here will help me to get more and more used to clay.” The world No. 7 will have another chance on Thursday when she will face Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia in the day’s last encounter.
The Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka underlined her ambitions when qualifying as the first player for the quarterfinals by beating the Czech Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open winner, 6-2, 6-3. “The win gives me lots of confidence as the duels with Barbora in the past were always very tight,” said the world No 2 and 2022 runner-up. “The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is the perfect preparation for all the big tournaments. Where otherwise do you have to play a Grand Slam winner in the first round?” Ons Jabeur and Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) then went head-to-toe in the last match of the day. The favourite from Tunisia eventually won the three-setter 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 to book, like Sabalenka before, a ticket for the last eight.
In the first encounter of the day, Karolina Pliskova cruised past Maria Sakkari, the No. 8 seed from Greece. The 2018 Stuttgart winner needed just 71 minutes for her straight sets 6-2, 6-3 win. “It was a strong start to the tournament, I felt really good. If I play aggressively and my serve is consistent then I am in with a good chance in every match,” said the pleased Czech whose next opponent will be Donna Vekic from Croatia at mid-day on Thursday. “I know Donna very well. It doesn’t however make things any easier. She serves well and has a great forehand. I hope I can rely on my serve again.”
Immediately afterwards, the 19-year-old Coco Gauff, the youngest player in the long-standing Stuttgart tournament, had to go the distance in her opening encounter against Veronika Kudermetova. She only clinched the match in a third set tie-break – 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (4). “I knew it was going to be a tough match after only reverting to clay courts from hard this week,” said the American. “My aim was to play aggressively all the way through. Nice it came off in the end.” The world No. 6 will be up against Anastasia Potapova on Thursday.
In the doubles on wednesday, Anna-Lena Friedsam from Porsche Team Germany and her partner Mona Barthel were in action. The German pairing went down 6-3, 6-4 to Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) and Luisa Stefani (Brazil).
Last year’s winner Iga Swiatek begins title defence
The Porsche Arena crowd can look forward to other highlights on Thursday. In the third match of the day the world No. 1 Iga Swiatek will enter the tournament fray. Last year’s winner, who recently had to pull out of the WTA tournament in Miami, will play the Chinese Qinwen Zheng for a place in the quarterfinals. “Of course I would like to defend my title at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The little break did me good, I feel fit and my injury has healed up. I’m ready for the tournament,” said the Pole. “The past matches against Qinwen were pretty tough. I’m not going to take anything for granted. It’s not something you can with any opponent in this excellent field here in Stuttgart.”
Also on Thursday, Porsche Team Germany’s Tatjana Maria will face one of the tournament favourites, the No. 4 seeded Caroline Garcia from France. The 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist defeated the Swiss Ylena In-Albon in a two hours 45 minute marathon match on Tuesday to register her first ever main draw win at her home tournament where there is a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo as the main prize. “I’m so happy to have another chance to play here at home in front of my family,” said the 35-year-old mother of two from nearby Bad Saulgau. “Caroline is in good form at the moment and is the world No. 5 for good reason. I’m sure the match will be just as good.”
The fact that Paula Badosa has to play her Spanish countrywoman and qualifier Cristina Bucsa on an outside court once again underlines how good the long-established Stuttgart tournament is once again this year.
Day 4
Porsche Team Germany’s Tatjana Maria sparked jubilant scenes amongst the Porsche Arena crowd. The 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist, who is playing at her home tournament for the first time in 11 years, defeated the Swiss qualifier Ylena In-Albon 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (4) in a tennis thriller lasting two hours 45 minutes. For the 35-year-old mother of two daughters who last week claimed her third career title in Bogota, it was the first main draw win at her fourth attempt at her home tournament.
“The duel shows just how high-class the field here is. I’m now all the happier to have finally posted my first win in Stuttgart,” said the exhausted Tatjana Maria, who will face the world No. 5 Caroline Garcia from France in the last 16 on Thursday. “Though I’m very tired, I’ll first of all try to savour the win. I’ll then begin my preparations tomorrow for my next match against Caroline. She’s in super form and plays very aggressively. I have to be ready right from the word go.”
The first seeded player exited right away in the afternoon as the former world No. 2 Paula Badosa gave the No. 7 seeded Daria Kasatkina absolutely no chance when beating her 6-1, 6-1. Jelena Ostapenko also had little trouble in her first round match against the Porsche Brand Ambassador Emma Raducanu (Great Britain). The 2017 French Open champion was a comfortable 6-2, 6-1 winner. “It’s never easy playing Emma. But I was so fearless out on court today, and was focussed from the first to the last minute. Things can continue the same way,” said the Latvian. The Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia advanced to the last 16 after her Italian opponent was forced to retire with an injury. Barbora Krejcikova from the Czech Republic has also reached the same stage. The 2021 French Open champion overcame Liudmila Samsonova in two straight sets 6-2, 6-0.
Other top stars starting their tournament campaigns on Wednesday
Wednesday will be the day of the top players at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Straight away in the first Centre Court match starting at mid-day, the Czech Karolina Pliskova, the 2018 Stuttgart winner, and the No. 8 seed Maria Sakkari from Greece will go head-to-head. Immediately afterwards, the American shooting star Coco Gauff will face Veronika Kudermetova. “We had a great week in Delray Beach in the Billie Jean King Cup and I was ready to get over here to Europe,” said the youngest main draw player in the tournament. “The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is a week to see what I have to work on in the clay court season. Looking back on where I was last year to this, I definitely feel like I’m a much better player. When I step out on the court, the confidence is now much higher. Now let’s see how my first match goes.”
Things will also come to the crunch on Wednesday for Jule Niemeier. The Porsche Team Germany player’s first round match against the Kazakh Elena Rybakina, who this year was the Australian Open runner-up and the winner of the Masters in Indian Wells, is scheduled for not before 5 o’clock. “When you come to Stuttgart, you never know beforehand what to expect. There are no easy opponents here, the level is basically incredibly high,” said the German No. 1. “I’ll simply try to play my own game and hope things will turn out positively in the end.”
Aryna Sabalenka will begin her tournament campaign at a time not before 6.30 pm. The Stuttgart runner-up in the past two years has been in impressive form all through the season to date, something highlighted by the title she won at the Australian Open. In her last 16 match, the world No. 2 will meet Barbora Krejcikova “I’m super happy to be back here. The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is one of my favourite tournaments,” she said. “I’ve been really successful here in the past. Hopefully I can do a little bit better this year and win the title. I’ve been practicing here for a couple of days and have a good feeling.”
In the last match of the day, the Stuttgart tennis fans can look forward to the world No. 4 Ons Jabeur. The Tunisian, who is returning to her old form, will be up against Jelena Ostapenko. “The last few tournaments have shown me that I’m a player that can come back from injuries. Now I’ll play from match to match and try to get back to my old level,” she said. “I love the court at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and would like to enjoy the time here.
Day 3
The 46th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix picked up speed on the first day of main draw matches on Monday. Straight away in the first Centre Court singles, the Porsche Arena crowd was taken on an inner roller coaster ride. In the duel between two qualifiers, Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch was defeated 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 by the Spaniard Cristina Bucsa despite winning the first set and generally playing well over a long period. Donna Vekic (Croatia) came out on top in a high-class and equally tight match afterwards against Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5). “They were two extremely close sets,” said the winner, “But I knew full well that there are no easy matches here. Luckily enough the clay court is very quick, it suits my serve nicely.”
In the day’s first encounter, the Chinese Qinwen Zheng downed the lucky loser Alycia Parks from USA 6-4, 6-4 on Court 1. She will now face the world No. 1 and title-holder Iga Swiatek in the round of the last 16. “I’ve already played her twice and hope I can learn from the experience. In tennis you never know what's going to happen. That's the beauty of it.“
In the evening, the spectators enjoyed a special exhibition match titled “Next Gen, please” when Andrea Petkovic, one of the crowd favourites for many years at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, and Anna-Lena Herzgerodt (nee Grönefeld) bid farewell to Stuttgart’s tennis fans. As representatives of the golden generation, they were supported by Porsche Team Germany’s Tatjana Maria and Anna-Lena Friedsam. Their opponents were Noma Noha Akugue, Ella Seidel and Sonja Zhenikhova, three of Germany’s talented youngsters as well as the German No. 1 Jule Niemeier.
Numerous highlights on Tuesday
After the opening main draw matches, other top players will on Tuesday start their campaigns at the tournament, where a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo is at stake as this year’s main prize for the winner. The day’s first encounter on Centre Court starting at mid-day, the Italian Martina Trevisan will go head-to-head with Beatriz Haddad Maia from Brazil, the world No. 14. Immediately afterwards, the crowd can look forward to probably the biggest highlight of the day when the No. 7 seed Daria Kasatkina faces the former world No. 2 Paula Badosa (Spain), who has been given a wild card.
Things will get serious at 5 o’clock at the earliest for Porsche Team Germany’s Tatjana Maria. The 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist, who won her third career title last week in Bogota, will meet the Swiss qualifier Ylena In-Albon in her opening match. “I hardly watched anything of qualifying, which is why I can’t say anything about her. But the field here is incredibly strong and you just know things are going to be tough from the first round,” said the German who last played at the long-standing Stuttgart tournament 11 years ago and is pleased to be back: “It’s a great feeling being a part of everything again. It’s something special for me that I can play my home tournament with the support of my family.”
More excitement is also on the cards when two former Grand Slam winners meet. The Porsche Brand Ambassador Emma Raducanu (Great Britain), the first ever qualifier to triumph at the US Open in New York when lifting the trophy in 2021, will play the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion. Another Roland Garros winner will be on court in the day’s last match as the Czech Barbora Krejcikova, who was victorious in Paris in 2021, will meet Liudmila Samsonova.
Day 2
Tatjana Maria was in fine form when drawing the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Side by side with Anke Huber, the Operating Tournament Director, the Wimbledon semifinalist pulled several extremely attractive first round matches out of the hat. The duel between the No. 8 seed Maria Sakkari from Greece and the Czech Karolina Pliskova, the 2018 Stuttgart winner, promises to be highly exciting. Paula Badosa’s, the former world No. 2 from Spain, meeting with the No. 7 seed Daria Kasatkina is also expected to produce high-class tennis in the contest for the Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo, the main prize for the winner of the 46th edition of the long-standing Stuttgart tournament.
Jule Niemeier was out of luck. The world No. 65 and top ranked German, who was handed a main draw wild card, is set to face the Wimbledon champion and Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan. Tatjana Maria drew herself the qualifier Ylena In-Albon (Switzerland) as her first round opponent. In the match between two Grand Slam winners, the Porsche Brand Ambassador Emma Raducanu (Great Britain), the 2021 US Open winner, will go head-to-head with the 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia).
Two qualifiers will meet each other in Monday’s first match on Centre Court in the Porsche Arena at 3.30 pm – Tamara Korpatsch against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa. The German overcame the American Alycia Parks 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday. She is the only home player to make it through to the main draw from qualifying. The second singles on Centre Court will be between Ekaterina Alexandrova and Donna Vekic (Croatia).
Earlier at mid-day on Court 1, the Chinese Qinwen Zheng will play the lucky loser Alycia Parks. The American has replaced Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) in the main draw as the 2019 Stuttgart winner was forced to withdraw with an injury. The first doubles encounter involving the Ukrainian Lyudmyla Kichenok and her Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko against Veronika Kudermetova and Anastasia Potapova will start not before 3.00 pm on Court 1.
Andrea Petkovic says “goodbye” to the Stuttgart crowd
She’s back in the Porsche Arena – Andrea Petkovic, a crowd favourite for many years at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, will bid the Stuttgart crowd farewell at a special exhibition match. Titled “Next Gens please”, it will take place after the second main draw match on Centre Court on Monday, 17 April. Andrea Petkovic and Anna Lena Herzgerodt (nee Grönefeld) as representatives of the “golden generation” will take on youngsters Noma Noha Akugue, Ella Seidel and Sonja Zhenikova.
Following immediately afterwards is a musical highlight on Centre Court in the Porsche Arena when shooting star Loi will present songs from her repertoire alongside her top hit “Gold”.
Day 1
Qualifying at the 46th edition of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix began on Saturday with an impressive win by Sabine Lisicki. In the second match of the day on Court 1, the former Wimbledon runner-up, who was beset with illness and injuries in recent years and who is now only ranked No. 281, defeated the Australian Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 6-4. In the qualifying final, the German will meet Croatia’s Petra Martic who overcame Nigina Abduraimova (Uzbekistan) 6-4, 6-2.
Another home player Tamara Korpatsch, who last year managed to qualify for the main draw of the long-established Stuttgart tournament, also got off to a winning start. Playing Kathinka von Deichmann from Liechtenstein, the German enjoyed a comfortable straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory. Awaiting her in Sunday’s second qualifying round is USA’s Alycia Parks, who defeated Ana Konjuh (Croatia) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Two Porsche Talent Team players have been knocked out despite perfoming well – Ella Seidel lost narrowly 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) to the 17-year-old Czech youngster Linda Fruhvirtova, Noma Noha Akugue went down 6-4, 6-4 against Cristina Bucsa from Spain. The third German to exit was Mona Barthel after losing out to the Swiss Ylena In-Albon 6-3, 6-7 (2), 7-5.
The draw for the main draw will take place on Sunday at 1 o’clock. German Tatjana Maria, who won the WTA tournament in Bogota one week ago, will pull the names out of the hat.
