The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix gets underway next week, where most top players usually start their clay season. A WTA 500 event held on indoor clay, the Stuttgart tournament always attracts big names, with Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff among those on this year’s entry list.
If they want to lift the title and win a new Porsche motor, they will have to compete in an unusually delayed final. The Stuttgart tournament is set to take a day off in the middle of the schedule, meaning the semi-finals will be played on Sunday with the championship match on Monday.
After taking a well-earned break following Indian Wells and Miami, a whole host of players will be back in action at next week’s WTA 500 in Stuttgart.
While the likes of Jessica Pegula and Danielle Collins have already been out on the clay in Charleston, for many, it will be their first time playing on the dirt this year.
Two-time former champion Swiatek will be back to try and get the trophy in her hands again, while Sabalenka – a runner-up on three occasions – will be hoping to emerge victorious for the first time.
However, the players will have to get used to a different schedule over the coming week. There will be no play on Good Friday, meaning the final has been pushed back to a Monday.
The tournament website states: “Awaiting this year’s winner of the singles final, which will be held on Easter Monday 21 April as there will be no play on Good Friday, is a Porsche Macan Turbo.”
Good Friday is a very important religious holiday in Germany, and a law in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg prevents sports events from taking place. This means that there cannot be play in the Porsche Arena.
The last 16 matches will take place on Thursday before the day off on Friday, with quarter-finals on Saturday, semis on Sunday, and the big match on Monday, April 21.
It gives players enough time to head to Madrid for the first WTA 1000 event of the clay swing, with main draw matches starting on Tuesday, April 22. Top players in Madrid will also get a bye into the second round, meaning they won’t need to play until later in the week.
Elena Rybakina, last year’s Stuttgart champion, did not enter the draw and will not be back to defend her crown. But 2024 runner-up Marta Kostyuk will be in action, hoping to go one better this time.
Emma Raducanu is also notably absent from the entry list. The Brit has been a global brand ambassador for Porsche since 2022. In October, Porsche confirmed she still held the role despite reports that her car had been “taken away”.
“Emma Raducanu is a global brand ambassador for Porsche and there have not been any changes within our successful partnership since it started in 2022. We are very happy with our partnership,” a representative said.
The British No. 2 traditionally received a wildcard into Stuttgart as part of her Porsche ambassador status. But she opted to enter the WTA 250 event in Rouen instead, and Porsche confirmed this “complemented her schedule better.”
However, she has since withdrawn from Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup ties and from the event in Reoun, opting to enjoy a long training block after spending weeks on the road competing.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk