Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Niemeier, Schunk and Lys intervene on Tuesday
With the start of the main round, the 45th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix picked up speed on Easter Monday. Jule Niemeier, Nastasja Schunk and Eva Lys are three players from the Porsche Talent Team on Tuesday.
by PM / tennisnet
last edit: Apr 18, 2022, 10:47 pm
After a hard fight, Ekaterina Alexandrova won the first singles on the center court of the Porsche Arena with 7:6, 7:6 against the Chinese Shuai Zhang. Liudmila Samsonova then had no trouble beating French qualifier Chloe Paquet 6-0, 6-0. The first match of the day was a doubles. Viktorija Golubic/Marketa Vondrousova (Switzerland/Czech Republic), who were playing together for the first time, defeated Norway's Ulrikke Eikeri and Alexandra Panova comfortably 6:3, 6:1. The first day of the main round of the traditional Stuttgart tournament ended with a very special doubles game, in which three top 10 players were on the field. Paula Badosa (Spain/No. 3) and Aryna Sabalenka (No. 4), last year's singles finalist, beat Ons Jabeur (Tunisia/No. 10) and Ellen Perez (Australia) 7-5, 7-5. through.
Eva Lys, Nastasja Schunk and Jule Niemeier in action on Tuesday
After the start of the main round, the first top stars will take part in the tournament on Tuesday. Things will then also get serious in the Porsche Arena for two players from the Porsche Talent Team, who fought their way through qualification into the main draw of the world-class tournament, in which the winner wins a Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo: straight away in the first match of the day Eva Lys will play Center Court at 12.30 p.m. against Viktorija Golubic from Switzerland. Nastasja Schunk does not meet one of the many top players of the tournament before 5 p.m.: Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan is ranked 19th in the world and is 205 places ahead of the German.
Bianca Andreescu celebrates a long-awaited comeback in Stuttgart
A strong opponent is also waiting for Jule Niemeier. The third player from the Porsche Talent Team made it straight into the main draw thanks to a wildcard and has to deal with Bianca Andreescu in her opening match. The Canadian took center stage after winning the 2019 US Open, but has struggled with injuries since then and has endured many setbacks in her young career. After a long break, equipped with a wildcard, she is making her long-awaited comeback on the WTA Tour at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. “I'm happy to be back and looking forward to my first tournament. Although the past few months have been difficult, I now felt that my time off was long enough," she said. "I missed the challenges on the court. I missed the fire I felt during my matches. That's why I said to myself it's time to play again."
For Ons Jabeur, the first North African player in the top 10, after her doubles, she continues in singles on Tuesday: She does not play Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova before 2:30 p.m. There is another premiere in the last match of the day, when the American shooting star Coco Gauff competes against Daria Kasatkina in his first appearance in the Porsche Arena.
Day off for Angelique Kerber and Emma Raducanu
Angelique Kerber and Emma Raducanu can look forward to another day of recovery from their appearances in the Billie Jean King Cup. After their first training session, the Porsche brand ambassadors answered questions from the journalists on center court in the press center. "It feels nice to be here and to be able to play in front of an audience again. For me, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is a very special tournament. The other players are always happy to come to Stuttgart, too,” said Angelique Kerber, who won the tournament in 2015 and 2016. She commented rather calmly on the draw, which brought her the world ranking sixth Anett Kontaveit from Estonia as her first opponent: “Often the draw doesn’t say much. This won't be an easy first round. I have to play my best tennis from the start."
Emma Raducanu celebrates her premiere at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The 2021 US Open winner doesn't have much experience on clay yet, with almost no clay courts in her native UK. However, that doesn't bother her. “I look forward to spending more time on clay this year. I can well imagine that the surface suits me. In fact, I think sand will eventually be my favorite surface,” she said. The 19-year-old Brit is relaxed about the increased interest in her person after the success in New York: "The more experience I gain, the better I can deal with it." And she summarizes her first impressions of the venue of the traditional tournament as follows: "It's great for me to be surrounded by all the Porsche vehicles."
More about the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix:
Eva Lys at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: "It's a dream come true"
Jule Niemeier: "A main draw wildcard for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is something very special"