The #PorscheTennisGrandPrix has always been one of the most prominent tournaments on the tour due to its world-class facilities and top-quality playing field. Just during last year, the last person directly entered into the main draw was ranked 29th. This year, the playing field already looks crowded with seven top-10 players and five Major champions already committing to this tournament.
The biggest star of women’s tennis currently is #NaomiOsaka, and she has recently been announced to be making her debut in Stuttgart after her triumph at the Australian Open. The Japanese was ranked 68 at this point in time last year, but within a blink of an eye, she sees a two-time Major champion and the world number one in the mirror. This is Osaka’s first appearance here and will look to prove her clay credentials with a strong run.
#PetraKvitova, who came off second-best against Osaka in the final in Melbourne, will also return to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix after reaching the semifinals twice in her career. The Czech will most likely compete as the second seed if the ranking does not change, although she will have the golden opportunity to improve on her ranking after a disappointing first-round loss to an inspired Angelique Kerber last year.
Tipped to dominate the clay season, #SimonaHalep and #KikiBertens are both considered excellent clay-court players and are overwhelming favourites for the biggest titles on clay this year. Similar to Kvitova, Halep had also reached the last four twice in her career. However, the former world number one was upset by surprise finalist Coco Vandeweghe in the quarterfinals in 2018.
Bertens only participated in Stuttgart twice, but on both occasions, she was handed an extremely tough draw as she was drawn to face Svetlana Kuznetsova and Karolina Pliskova in the opening round respectively. The Dutchwoman failed to claim a win in this prestigious tournament and fell to a shockingly one-sided 2-6, 2-6 loss to Pliskova last year. Looking to be a seeded player this year, she will look to turn the tables and finally break the duck.
Defending champion and world number five #KarolinaPliskova, who recently reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and fresh off an iconic win over the legendary Serena Williams, returns to Stuttgart hoping to replicate her success. Surprisingly, despite her lack of affinity with clay, Pliskova has reached at least the quarterfinals in all her appearances in Stuttgart.
Home favourites #AngeliqueKerber and #JuliaGoerges are the only home players who seem to be receiving a direct entry into the main draw with their rankings, although there are definitely more Germans being handed wildcards when we approach the tournament. Kerber is a former two-time champion back in 2015 and 2016 and has clinched six top-10 wins at this tournament.
Goerges’ best memory in Stuttgart must have come in 2011 when she stunned the tennis world by lifting the trophy as the world number 32, one of the last players to receive a direct main draw entry. However, ever since her title run, the German was unable to get past the second round and seems to be struggling to deal with the pressure of playing in front of her home crowd.
WTA Finals champion #ElinaSvitolina made her debut in Stuttgart last year, and she must have enjoyed her experience which motivated her to participate here once more. The Ukrainian reached the quarterfinals but lost a commanding 7-6, 3-0 lead against Caroline Garcia to fall in three heartbreaking sets. She will most likely be seeded but it is never an easy draw in Stuttgart with the packed field.
Three-time champion #MariaSharapova returns to this special place once again. The Russian won a Porsche car for three consecutive years from 2012 to 2014, defeating nine top-20 players in the process as she was dubbed as the “Queen of Stuttgart”, especially with her status as a Porsche ambassador. She made her professional return to the sport here in 2017 and reached the semifinals before falling in the opening round in both 2015 and 2018. She owns an unbelievable 16-3 win-loss record in this tournament.
Australian Open semifinalist #DanielleCollins will make her debut at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix following her huge breakthrough onto the international scene. The American has not performed well on clay in the previous years, but she will look to turn the tables and stun everyone with yet another deep run here. It will also be a good opportunity for her to challenge the top players on a surface which she does not favour.
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