Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: These are the German starters in 2023
Of course, the focus of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2023 will again be on the German players. But who is there?
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Apr 13, 2023, 07:47 pm
Jule Niemeier (WTA No. 65) - start in the main field via wildcard
Germany's number 1 is in the main draw of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix for the second time. Last year she performed well, narrowly losing to Bianca Andreescu 6: 7 (5), 3: 6 - bitter mainly because Niemeier had chances but did not strike in the crucial moments. For the climber of the last two years, things are still going rough in 2023: she has only two wins in eleven defeats, most recently she had six unsuccessful matches in a row. Can Niemeier turn the tide in the Billie Jean King Cup at the weekend and gain confidence for the PTGP?
Tatjana Maria (WTA No. 71) - start in the main field via wildcard
For Tatjana Maria, the start in Stuttgart is a home game: Maria comes from Bad Saulgau in Baden-Württemberg, but has been living in Palm Beach/Florida for many years - because of love. Here she met her coach and later husband Charles, and the two form a successful family, traveling around the world of tennis with their two daughters! Since then, Maria has won three titles, the last of which was when she defended her title in Bogota last week . In Stuttgart, the 35-year-old is back at the start for the first time since 2012. Do you play that other game, with the slice on forehand and backhand, on the fast sand in the Porsche Arena? Maria has three main field starts in the statistics (2006, 2007, 2008) - will the first match success work out this year? "The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is my home tournament and always will be," she explained before the start of the tournament.
Tamara Korpatsch (WTA No. 106) - start in the qualification
The 27-year-old has qualified for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix three times so far - in 2017, 2021 and 2022. Last year as a lucky loser after losing the final qualifying round. Korpatsch used her second chance, took the Italian Camila Giorgi out of the tournament in round 1 and offered great resistance against superstar Emma Raducanu in the round of 16 in her three-set defeat. Korpatsch is still waiting for her first win this season, she started the year with ten defeats.
Noma Noha Akugue (WTA No. 204) - Start in qualification via wildcard
One of the DTB's greatest hopes for young talent! Akugue surprisingly won the German Championships in 2020, in 2021 she was already at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix , where she won a qualifying round. Akugue, endowed with an extremely fast arm, has always struggled with injuries, at this time last year she was still outside the top 1,000 players, currently thanks to strong results at her career high of 204th place! She reached seven ITF finals in 2022 and 2023, winning a title in the process.
Sabine Lisicki (WTA No. 281) - start in the qualification via wildcard
"Bumm-Bumm-Biene" had one of the worst bad luck injuries in recent years. Whenever she had just started her comeback, it crashed again somewhere, most recently in 2020 in the knee. The continuation of her career was on the brink, but the strong-willed Berliner is fighting to return. She made her comeback last year in Bad Homburg on the beloved lawn, most recently she qualified in Charleston - before that she had already reached the semifinals at the ITF tournament in Orlando. Her greatest success in Stuttgart: the quarter-finals in 2011 and 2013.
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