The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, a WTA 500 event and the second clay-court tournament of the year, is set to take place next week at the Porsche-Arena in Stuttgart, known for its indoor clay courts.
Stuttgart has established itself as a key stop on the European clay-court circuit since 2006. This year`s tournament will feature 11 of the top 20 players in the WTA rankings.
Stuttgart: Draws | Scores | Order of play
Players will compete for nearly one million euros in prize money. The singles champion will also be awarded a Porsche Macan Turbo and the traditional victory lap on the court.
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The main draw action in Stuttgart commences on Monday, April 14th, with 28 singles players and 16 doubles teams vying for the titles.
This year, the singles final will be held on Monday, April 21st, due to matches being suspended for Good Friday.
Here is a breakdown of the key facts you need to know:
- Main-Draw Start Date: Monday, April 14
- Singles Final: Monday, April 21 at 1 p.m. (NOTE: There will be no play in Stuttgart on Friday, April 18 due to the Good Friday holiday)
- Doubles Final: Sunday, April 20, following the singles semifinals
- Qualifying Dates: Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13
- Main-Draw Ceremony: Sunday, April 13 at 1:00 p.m.
- Singles Main-Draw Size: 28 players (including 4 qualifiers and 4 wild cards)
- Doubles Main-Draw Size: 16 teams
- Time Zone: Central European Summer Time (BST +1, EST +6)
- Tournament Ball: Wilson Roland Garros Clay Court
Ranking points and prize money
First round: 1 point | €9,828
Round of 16: 60 points | €13,760
Quarterfinals: 108 points | €27,040
Semifinals: 195 points | €51,305
Finalist: 325 points | €87,825
Champion: 500 points | €142,610
`I don`t have a driver`s license`: Rybakina cracks up the crowd in Stuttgart
And here are some key storylines to watch for in Stuttgart:
- Elena Rybakina returns as the defending champion, having won her eighth career title (and third on clay) last year in the Porsche-Arena. Rybakina will be attempting to make her first final since she captured last year`s Porsche…as an unlicensed driver. (Rybakina has since gotten her license, and described her driving activities this week at Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers.)
- Stuttgart has been one of those events that World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has been so close to winning — she finished as runner-up three straight times from 2021 through 2023, but has not yet taken the title. Sabalenka can take motivation from the fact that she won the US Open last year after a number of near-misses, and in her most recent event, she won the Miami Open for her first-ever Sunshine Double trophy.
- World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, on the other hand, has collected multiple Porsches. Swiatek defeated Sabalenka for the title in 2022 and 2023, and she won her first 10 career matches at Stuttgart before her perfect record was thwarted by Rybakina in last year`s semifinals.
- Jessica Pegula enters Stuttgart back at her career-high ranking of World No. 3, following her first clay-court title at this year`s first clay-court WTA 500 event in Charleston. Pegula is this year`s WTA main-draw match-win leader (25 victories) and has gone 17-2 in her last 19 matches.
- The singles main-draw wild cards have gone to the top four Germans in the PIF WTA Rankings: Eva Lys, Tatjana Maria, Laura Siegemund and Jule Niemeier. Siegemund is the most recent German to win this title — she was the champion in 2017, as well as the runner-up in 2016.
Stay tuned for further updates as the tournament approaches.
