by ti-amie Tournament: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
Dates: April 14 - Apr 21, 2025
Level: WTA 500
Total Financial Commitment: $1,064,510
Surface: Clay
Pos. Name Ranking
1 SABALENKA, ARYNA 1
2 SWIATEK, IGA 2
3 GAUFF, COCO 3
4 PEGULA, JESSICA 4
5 ANDREEVA, MIRRA 6
6 PAOLINI, JASMINE 7
7 ZHENG, QINWEN 9
8 NAVARRO, EMMA 10
9 BADOSA, PAULA 11
10 SHNAIDER, DIANA 13
11 COLLINS, DANIELLE 15
12 KREJCIKOVA, BARBORA 16
13 HADDAD MAIA, BEATRIZ 18
14 VEKIC, DONNA 19
15 ALEXANDROVA, EKATERINA 20
16 SAMSONOVA, LIUDMILA 21
17 TAUSON, CLARA 23
18 OSTAPENKO, JELENA 25
19 FRECH, MAGDALENA 27
20 MERTENS, ELISE 28
by ashkor87 Rybakina doesnt seem to be playing..may be she should take a break
by
ptmcmahon Isn't not playing taking a break?
by
ashkor87 ptmcmahon wrote: ↑Fri Mar 28, 2025 9:56 pm
Isn't not playing taking a break?
I mean a loooong break
by ashkor87 This is s good test for Andreeva...she has done well at the RG in the past, but is she going to be a force over the entire year? I have little doubt that she will, on grass, hard and indoor but clay I am not so sure her game translates...
by ponchi101 Again, I don't understand your concern. She has already made the semis there, which is actually her best slam result (has not made the QF's anywhere else). She has been raised, tennis wise, in France, where there is no lack of clay courts to train on. And her coach is Conchita Martinez, a spaniard.
I would like her chances against Iga, who remains the standard on clay. Not saying she will beat her, but she has as good a chance to beat Swiatek on clay as anybody else.
by JTContinental It's the coaching that is improving Andreeva's game, and very little to do with the surface she's playing on.
by ti-amie Qualifying Draw
D. Yastremska (1) vs A. Konjuh
Y. Wickmayer vs E. Seidel (6)
V. Kudermetova (2) vs K. Von Deichmann
N. Schunk (WC) vs S. Errani (8)
E. Andreeva (3) vs M. Thamm (WC)
L. Chirico vs A. Sasnovich (5)
Y. Starodubtseva (4) vs J. Fett
R. Masarova vs A. Zakharova (7)
by ti-amie Main Draw Singles
[1] A. Sabalenka/BYE
A. Potapova vs C. Tauson
Qualifier vs E. Mertens
Qualifier vs [8] D. Shnaider
[4] C. Gauff/BYE
T. Maria vs D. Collins
J. Niemeier vs L. Siegemund
E. Lys vs [5] J. Paolini
[6] M. Andreeva vs M. Kostyuk
E. Alexandrova vs L. Samsonova
M. Frech vs R. Sramkova
[3] J. Pegula/BYE
[7] E. Navarro vs B. Haddad Maia
J. Ostapenko vs Qualifier
D. Vekic vs Qualifier
[2] I. Swiatek/BYE
by ti-amie Monday Order of Play
Centre Court
Starts at 11:30 AM
RUS A. Potapova vs DEN C. Tauson
Followed By
RUS V. Kudermetova vs RUS D. Shnaider (8)
Court 1
Starts at 8:00 AM
LAT J. Ostapenko/UKR D. Yastremska vs GER N. Schunk/GER E. Seidel
Followed By
BLR A. Sasnovich vs BEL E. Mertens
by ponchi101 Talk about a bummer. Erika Vs Mirra, R1. And Erika has her number.
by ti-amie Tuesday Order of Play
Centre Court
Starts at 6:30 AM
LAT J. Ostapenko vs UKR D. Yastremska
Followed By
CRO D. Vekic vs CRO J. Fett
Followed By
GER J. Niemeier vs GER L. Siegemund
Followed By
GER E. Lys vs ITA J. Paolini (5)
Followed By
USA E. Navarro (7) vs BRA B. Haddad Maia
Court 1
Starts at 9:00 AM
RUS E. Alexandrova vs RUS L. Samsonova
Followed By
TPE H. Chan/RUS V. Kudermetova (3) vs HUN T. Babos/BRA L. Stefani
by ashkor87 Small field, big tournament..tough first round matches...Alexandrova vs Samsonova is the toughest..Navarro vs BHM too...i expect Mirra will beat her sister this time ..
by ashkor87 This being a slow clay court, Samsonova should win, and I like them both....
by ponchi101 Alexandrova in a "walk in the park", 3 & 3.
Alexandrova with 10 aces. Doesn't sound like a slow court to me.
by ashkor87 Alexandrova served very well, her return is always great, no surprise there. But I was impressed with Alexandrova.
by ti-amie Wednesday Order of Play
Centre Court
Starts at 6:30 AM
RUS M. Andreeva (6) vs RUS E. Andreeva
Followed By
POL M. Frech vs ITA S. Errani
Followed By
CRO J. Fett vs POL I. Swiatek (2)
Followed By
GER T. Maria vs GER E. Seidel
Followed By
BEL E. Mertens vs RUS D. Shnaider (8)
Court 1
Starts at 6:30 AM
RUS E. Alexandrova/CHN S. Zhang vs JPN M. Kato/INA A. Sutjiadi
Followed By
USA D. Krawczyk/USA J. Pegula vs USA N. Melichar-Martinez/RUS L. Samsonova
Followed By
HUN T. Babos/BRA L. Stefani vs LAT J. Ostapenko/UKR D. Yastremska
Followed By
UKR N. Kichenok/CHN Y. Xu vs RUS A. Panova/HUN F. Stollar
Followed By
NOR U. Eikeri/ROU M. Niculescu vs USA A. Muhammad/NED D. Schuurs (4)
by ti-amie Thursday Order of Play
Centre Court
Starts at 6:30 AM
RUS M. Andreeva (6) vs RUS E. Alexandrova
Followed By
GER J. Niemeier vs ITA J. Paolini (5)
Followed By
POL M. Frech vs USA J. Pegula (3)
Followed By
USA C. Gauff (4) vs GER E. Seidel
Followed By
USA E. Navarro (7) vs LAT J. Ostapenko
Court 1
Starts at 7:00 AM
CAN G. Dabrowski/NZL E. Routliffe (1) vs RUS A. Panova/HUN F. Stollar
Followed By
USA N. Melichar-Martinez/RUS L. Samsonova vs USA A. Muhammad/NED D. Schuurs (4)
Followed By
RUS E. Alexandrova/CHN S. Zhang vs ITA S. Errani/ITA J. Paolini (2)
by ashkor87 very happy to see Andreescu back on court, even if she didnt win. She is a champion..
by ponchi101 And you should be happy that your girl Alexandrova has been playing this well. Ran over Mirra with ease.
About Andreescu. Always liked her, although the histrionics were a bit over the top. But... she has not won anything, and it is literally anything, in years. She had one good season and the injuries were too much. Maybe a career never fulfilled.
(She still has time).
by
ptmcmahon ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 17, 2025 7:15 am
very happy to see Andreescu back on court, even if she didnt win. She is a champion..
With Andreescu you need her to play a lot more than one match to be happy about her being back!
by ashkor87 I like Andreescu for her variety ..remember, there was a year just before Covid when she was unbeaten on hard courts...always adds depth to the field..I certainly hope she gets back to even 70% of her former game ..
by ashkor87 As for Alexandrova- yes, one of my favourite girls, she is serving very well, really going after the ball..her return was always exceptional and she really put Andreeva"s serve under pressure..of course, Mirra served under 50%, which isn't going to win matches even on clay...
Pegula next up..the real benchmark even on clay.
by ti-amie Friday Order of Play
Centre Court
Starts at 6:30 AM
RUS E. Alexandrova vs USA J. Pegula (3)
Followed By
LAT J. Ostapenko vs POL I. Swiatek (2)
Followed By
BLR A. Sabalenka (1) vs BEL E. Mertens
Followed By
USA C. Gauff (4) vs ITA J. Paolini (5)
Court 1
Starts at 7:30 AM
CAN G. Dabrowski/NZL E. Routliffe (1) vs HUN T. Babos/BRA L. Stefani
Followed By
USA N. Melichar-Martinez/RUS L. Samsonova vs RUS E. Alexandrova/CHN S. Zhang
by jazzyg Finally, Swiatek gets a chance to play Ostapenko on clay.
I'm not liking Ostapenko's chances to keep her perfect record intact, but I will be watching Saturday in the hope that she does.
by
ptmcmahon ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 17, 2025 3:51 pm
I like Andreescu for her variety ..remember, there was a year just before Covid when she was unbeaten on hard courts...always adds depth to the field..I certainly hope she gets back to even 70% of her former game ..
Agreed, I did enjoy watching her when she could stay healthy. Of course that might be part home country bias too
by ashkor87 Ostapenko meets Swiatek again! first time on clay though.. I wonder if Jelena will be able to beat her again.. sure hope so but..it is clay, and Iga is queen of clay. Bated breath.
by ashkor87 The QF matches are all a tossup, except for Sabalenka vs Mertens!
Gauff - Paolini? Saw coco, her forehand is as bad as ever..
Osta leads Iga 5-0 head to head
Alexandrova-Pegula, always a close one, both are in form, 50-50 I would say
by mick1303 It looks like today there is no play at all. Why?
by
skatingfan mick1303 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 18, 2025 12:17 pm
It looks like today there is no play at all. Why?
Good Friday, and in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg sporing events are not allowed on some holidays.
by ponchi101 I also believe Swiatek will beat Ostapenko on clay.
I certainly hope not.
But: Ostapenko knows only how to blast the ball. And let's remember: Iga is not a very good competitor when the other player is telling her "I am not impressed by you". So, if some of those balls start landing in early in the match...
by JTContinental I think the palpable glee Ostapenko feels when playing Swiatek will come through.
by ashkor87 Well, osta was french open champion before Swiatek was. And she can punish weak serves that rely overmuch on spin.
by ashkor87 It will take a good server like Alexandrova or Sabalenka to beat Ostapenko here, she just thrives on punishable spun serves...
by ashkor87 Great win for Alexandrova over Pegula 0 and 4..the 0 is not so surprising..on clay, a slight advantage coupled with s good serve can get you a 0 score...still, great win for one of my favorites ..again,look at her record on clay last year 0-7 or some such. She is much better suited ho grass..a potential Wimbledon champion?
by mick1303 In 31 attempts in Grand Slams Alexandrova reached R16 once...
by
ponchi101 ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 8:36 am
Well, osta was french open champion before Swiatek was. And she can punish weak serves that rely overmuch on spin.
Remember that Ostapenko's record at RG has got to be one of the most puzzling trivia in ALL of sports. Oner time champion, at least 4 time 1R loser.
As I write, the match is on. I don't want to jinx her.
by jazzyg Since winning Roland Garros in 2017, Ostapenko had reached one semifinal on clay in eight years until today. One. And zero finals.
There's never been anyone in anyone's head as much as she is in Swiatek's head. As much as I love Ostapenko's game when she is clicking, one thing I've noticed is she really struggles to return good first serves, and Swiatek always serves terribly against him, allowing her to crush second-serve returns and even hit winners off of weak first serves.
Swiatek would not even look at her during the handshake. Weak, weak, weak.
by ponchi101 And, well, she just did it again. 6-2 in the 3rd for Alona. She definitely has Iga's number.
by ashkor87 Swiatek's serve is just ideal for Ostapenko to whack, and nobody whacks better ,!
by ashkor87 I expect Alexandrova will beat Ostapenko...she is a very different kind of player..serves well, wont give Osta weak shots to pummel
by ashkor87 I expect Alexandrova will beat Ostapenko...she is a very different kind of player..serves well, wint give Osta weak shots to pummel..and has a great return..just as Vika has
by
JTContinental jazzyg wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 2:31 pm
There's never been anyone in anyone's head as much as she is in Swiatek's head.
Serena and Maria strongly disagree with this statement.
by
ponchi101 JTContinental wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 5:03 pm
jazzyg wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 2:31 pm
There's never been anyone in anyone's head as much as she is in Swiatek's head.
Serena and Maria strongly disagree with this statement.
Although I agree with Jazzyg's statement. Alona is at "100% inside Iga's head". As was Serena in Maria's.
by
ponchi101 ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 3:25 pm
I expect Alexandrova will beat Ostapenko...she is a very different kind of player..serves well, wint give Osta weak shots to pummel..and has a great return..just as Vika has
Not fully expect, but agree that Alexandrova should be favored.
by
mick1303 JTContinental wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 5:03 pm
jazzyg wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 2:31 pm
There's never been anyone in anyone's head as much as she is in Swiatek's head.
Serena and Maria strongly disagree with this statement.
I think Serena was just better all around. Different case with Swiatek-Ostapenko.
by ti-amie Sunday Order of Play
Centre Court
Starts at 7:00 AM
Semifinal
RUS E. Alexandrova vs LAT J. Ostapenko
Followed by
Semifinal
BLR
A. Sabalenka (1) vs ITA J. Paolini (5)
Followed by
Final
CAN G. Dabrowski/NZL E. Routliffe (1) vs RUS E. Alexandrova/CHN S. Zhang
by
jazzyg JTContinental wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 5:03 pm
jazzyg wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 2:31 pm
There's never been anyone in anyone's head as much as she is in Swiatek's head.
Serena and Maria strongly disagree with this statement.
The difference is Serena was significantly more talented than Sharapova.
Swiatek is better than Ostapenko.
And I see this was referenced right above. Sorry for the redundant post.
by ashkor87 I agree, Serena was simply a much better player than Sharapova..Ostapenko vs swiatek is more about how their games match up. I don't believe much in anybody being inside anybody's head .these are all seasoned pros and can overcome these things sooner or later.
by
FredX ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 12:16 am
I agree, Serena was simply a much better player than Sharapova..Ostapenko vs swiatek is more about how their games match up. I don't believe much in anybody being inside anybody's head .these are all seasoned pros and can overcome these things sooner or later.
Nick and Stefanos might strongly disagree with this statement.
Didn't Agassi in his autobiography cop to tanking a semifinal match in Australia because he was so intimidated by Becker that he didn't want to face him in the final? Sports psychologists exist for a reason (though in Iga's case, they may not be helping matters). Agassi clearly got over it, Swiatek probably will too...but I think it's real, I don't think it takes much to spook a lot of these seasoned professionals.
What is it about Ostapenko's game that matches up so badly? Iga has no problem handling heavy hitters generally. Why Sabalenka and not Ostapenko, for example?
by
ashkor87 FredX wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 1:02 am
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 12:16 am
I agree, Serena was simply a much better player than Sharapova..Ostapenko vs swiatek is more about how their games match up. I don't believe much in anybody being inside anybody's head .these are all seasoned pros and can overcome these things sooner or later.
Nick and Stefanos might strongly disagree with this statement.
Didn't Agassi in his autobiography cop to tanking a semifinal match in Australia because he was so intimidated by Becker that he didn't want to face him in the final? Sports psychologists exist for a reason (though in Iga's case, they may not be helping matters). Agassi clearly got over it, Swiatek probably will too...but I think it's real, I don't think it takes much to spook a lot of these seasoned professionals.
What is it about Ostapenko's game that matches up so badly? Iga has no problem handling heavy hitters generally. Why Sabalenka and not Ostapenko, for example?
In the end, Agassi figured out Becker..his autobiography tells why Agassi disliked Becker..I don't think he ever feared him. Ostapenko is simply more brutally effective at punishing soft serves than anyone else today .notice that Rybakina does well against Swiatek too..Sabalenka should do better, I agree..but I don't think she hits as hard and effectively as Ostapenko does ..
by FredX Apparenty Agassi figured him out by studying his tongue placement! Still, let's flip it around - Ostapenko isn't exactly a pillar of consistency, yet she manages to always have the right stuff against Swiatek...her confidence in this particular match-up is palpable. it cuts both ways, and I think it's beyond the x's and o's of playing style.
by ashkor87 Sabalenka vs Mertens - Sabalenka seems to suffer from a desire to be 'cute' - when she should just smash the ball, she wants to hit a drop shot.. Mertens read those perfectly.. shot selection needs to improve!
by
mick1303 FredX wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 1:02 am
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 12:16 am
I agree, Serena was simply a much better player than Sharapova..Ostapenko vs swiatek is more about how their games match up. I don't believe much in anybody being inside anybody's head .these are all seasoned pros and can overcome these things sooner or later.
Nick and Stefanos might strongly disagree with this statement.
Didn't Agassi in his autobiography cop to tanking a semifinal match in Australia because he was so intimidated by Becker that he didn't want to face him in the final? Sports psychologists exist for a reason (though in Iga's case, they may not be helping matters). Agassi clearly got over it, Swiatek probably will too...but I think it's real, I don't think it takes much to spook a lot of these seasoned professionals.
What is it about Ostapenko's game that matches up so badly? Iga has no problem handling heavy hitters generally. Why Sabalenka and not Ostapenko, for example?
I think this H2H is due to the "prefect storm" so to speak. It has accentuating mental circumstances on both sides. Usually very erratic Ostapenko has a morale boost from the previous matches, while Iga is very nervous and lacks confidence much more than against other opponents (even much stronger ones). I don't see anything stylistically particularly damning in this matchup. One victory from Iga may flip it completely. She definitely has the tools to move Ostapenko around and make her miss usual share of shots.
by ashkor87 well, well, Osta is better than I think.. comfortable win over Alexandrova.. Saba next, probably - cant see Paolini beating Saba..?
by ashkor87 Stuttgart is an INDOOR court, wonder how much difference that would make.. no breeze, conditions under control, I imagine it would make it easier for a pure strike player like Ostapenko, Rybakina, etc.. and harder for those who use spin to control the ball? like Swiatek..It should suit Sabalenka, then.. we shall see.
by
atlpam ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 12:16 am
I agree, Serena was simply a much better player than Sharapova..Ostapenko vs swiatek is more about how their games match up. I don't believe much in anybody being inside anybody's head .these are all seasoned pros and can overcome these things sooner or later.
Remember Federer - Nalbandian
by
ashkor87 atlpam wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 12:59 pm
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 12:16 am
I agree, Serena was simply a much better player than Sharapova..Ostapenko vs swiatek is more about how their games match up. I don't believe much in anybody being inside anybody's head .these are all seasoned pros and can overcome these things sooner or later.
Remember Federer - Nalbandian
Federer was still maturing when Nalbandian beat him 5 times in a row - their h2h ended up 11-8 in Federer's favor. As I said, sooner or later..
by ashkor87 paolini's footwork is delightful.. watching her give Sabalenka a tough fight.. more tough than I expected. Sabalenka is being cute at the wrong time as usual, and not moving all that well, but just too powerful ..I wonder if Ostapenko can make her pay ..
Paolini, to me, is like Radwanska with a better serve.. brilliant footwork, great footspeed.. she did well at Wimbledon last year already, should do again. Very impressed with how well she has kept up her level of play from last year, I was pretty sure she would drop off to nothing.. but that hasnt happened.
by
ponchi101 atlpam wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 12:59 pm
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 12:16 am
I agree, Serena was simply a much better player than Sharapova..Ostapenko vs swiatek is more about how their games match up. I don't believe much in anybody being inside anybody's head .these are all seasoned pros and can overcome these things sooner or later.
Remember Federer - Nalbandian
And Sampras - Chang.
by
JTContinental ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 3:06 pm
paolini's footwork is delightful.. watching her give Sabalenka a tough fight.. more tough than I expected. Sabalenka is being cute at the wrong time as usual, and not moving all that well, but just too powerful ..I wonder if Ostapenko can make her pay ..
Paolini, to me, is like Radwanska with a better serve.. brilliant footwork, great footspeed.. she did well at Wimbledon last year already, should do again. Very impressed with how well she has kept up her level of play from last year, I was pretty sure she would drop off to nothing.. but that hasnt happened.
She has not really kept up the level of play outside of this tournament
by
ashkor87 JTContinental wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 7:20 pm
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 3:06 pm
paolini's footwork is delightful.. watching her give Sabalenka a tough fight.. more tough than I expected. Sabalenka is being cute at the wrong time as usual, and not moving all that well, but just too powerful ..I wonder if Ostapenko can make her pay ..
Paolini, to me, is like Radwanska with a better serve.. brilliant footwork, great footspeed.. she did well at Wimbledon last year already, should do again. Very impressed with how well she has kept up her level of play from last year, I was pretty sure she would drop off to nothing.. but that hasnt happened.
She has not really kept up the level of play outside of this tournament
Did well at Miami...lost only to Sabalenka
by ashkor87 well well well.. Ostapenko really is better than I thought.. beat Sabalenka easily. Saw the highlights.. Sabalenka looked to be slow and overpowered..
by Suliso If only Ostapenko could keep it up, but 7+ years of history shows she can't...
by ponchi101 She is the patron saint of the loonie players. The ideological daughter of Henri Laconte, Xavier Malisse, and all those other players that have never thought one single point.
Just go out there and hit.
Of course, she has been more successful. But as Suliso says. She maybe will do nothing more for the rest of the year.
by ti-amie I only saw part of the first set but it looked as if Aljona actually had a game plan. She was keeping Sabalenka off balance and out of position, rushing the net, and totally frustrating Sabalenka.
As has already been said this could be the only time we see head on straight and thinking Aljona on court though. Today, from what I saw, she was impressive.
by
ponchi101 ti-amie wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 10:19 pm
Nice set of wheels. Don't like the actual wheels but the color is rather different. Although it is one of the three official BMW colors.
And. The most reckless player on tour got behind the wheel and immediately put on her seatbelt. Nice.
by jazzyg I watched the entire match. Ostapenko played very well and was not simply going for the lines on every shot, which is a bit of a misnomer anyway. Her problems come when she can't keep the ball in play regardless of whether she is going for the lines. She also served better than she normally does, which is a good thing because Sabalenka was killing her second serve.
Sabalenka did not move or play well. That helped.
Ostapenko, to me, is one of the great underachievers of anyone who has won a slam. I'm not asking her to contend for No. 1, but she goes through stretches on every surface where she struggles to win any match. I don't get it. She is capable of hitting the ball as cleanly as anyone who ever lived.
One other thing. She seems to have matured in the past year, and I'm not talking about her game. Maybe the electronic line calling (which, ironically, they did not have at this tournament) has kept her from questioning a thousand calls per match and irritating her opponents, and she is more gracious pre- and post-match than she used to be. This is all relative, but I've noticed a big difference there.
