The WTA returns to one of its happy places this week as Stuttgart once again hosts the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the WTA players’ most favorite Premier event.
Being both a fan and player favorite, Stuttgart once again boasts an impressive entry list, including 2015 champion Angelique Kerber, top seed Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova & Ana Ivanovic.
Unfortunately, Stuttgart will have to do without its most favorite player this year, as undisputed crowd darling and three-time champion Maria Sharapova will have to give her “home” event a miss this year due to the pending doping charges against her.
With most big name players still on Fed Cup duty, Saturday was all about qualifying action and the arrival of some of the tournament’s star players. After quitting her Fed Cup duties for good, Ana Ivanovic was one of the first to arrive and take to the court for an extensive practice session. Another early arrival is Petra Kvitova, who surprisingly gave Fed Cup a miss this weekend.
While practice and qualifying was progressing on the three courts, Sabine Lisicki had a special duty to perform, assisting with the tournament draw, promptly drawing herself to play Timea Babos in the process.
Qualifying action in Stuttgart will continue tomorrow, while the tournament is scheduled to kick off main draw play on Monday evening. Keep checking back to Women’s Tennis Blog all week as we take you to one of most popular events in tennis!
