Upper Austria Ladies Linz: "Tournament will take place in any case"
On Wednesday, the WTA published a revised tournament schedule for the rest of 2020 . Austria's largest tennis women's event of the year, the Upper Austria Ladies Linz , does not appear there for the time being. However, tournament director Sandra Reichel confirms to tennisnet that the game will definitely be played in autumn.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit:
Jun 18, 2020, 01:12 pm
“The tournament will definitely take place. However, we still have to be patient about which spot Linz gets on the calendar, ”said Reichel on Thursday.
Now it was important for the WTA to set a schedule for the French Open similar to the ATP . Reichel hopes to announce a fixed date by mid-July.
“It also depends on the further development of the pandemic in the host countries of other tournaments. There are several options, "said Reichel, and made it clear:" Only serious deterioration of the situation and new, stricter regulations can prevent the tournament. "
Sandra Reichel hopes to see spectators in Linz
The mood among sponsors and partners such as the city of Linz and the state of Upper Austria is good. "They are happy that the tournament can take place. It is an important sign for women's sports in Austria. People can look forward to watching live sports - always in compliance with the latest regulations. ”
On the part of the WTA, there would be a comprehensive concept to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Concrete plans, how the tournament schedule will look like, will be worked out from the fixed date commitment.
"As a professional optimist, I am convinced that the corona situation will calm down until October to such an extent that we can also welcome spectators to the Linz Tips Arena for our anniversary tournament," Reichel said on Wednesday in a broadcast.
WTA Linz: Coco Gauff won 2019
The Upper Austria Ladies in Linz belong to the category of 32 WTA International Tournaments. The winner can look forward to 280 points each for the WTA ranking.
The 30th edition of the tournament in Linz is planned for next fall. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, there is no room for the tournament category to be graded, for example to a WTA $ 125,000 tournament. This is not possible at all, as the MatchMaker agency holds the license to the international tournament. The tournament was originally planned from October 11th to 18th.
Last year Coco Gauff sensationally celebrated her first tournament victory on the WTA tour as a lucky loser. The American beat French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko 6: 3, 1: 6, 6: 2. In the history of Upper Austria Ladies Linz, Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic or Victoria Azarenka also entered the list of winners.