Aryna Sabalenka has cruised into the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix without playing a single point. The world No. 1 received a first-round bye as the top seed and advanced again when her second-round opponent, Anastasia Potapova, withdrew from the tournament due to injury. As a result, Sabalenka will play her first match only on Friday.
Originally, Sabalenka was set to face the winner of the match between Potapova and Clara Tauson. On Monday, Potapova pulled off a dramatic comeback, saving a match point in the second-set tiebreak to defeat Tauson 2-6 7-6(8) 6-3 in a two-hour and 41-minute battle. But the following day, the world No. 38 announced her withdrawal, citing a recurring injury and hoping for a comeback at the Madrid Open.
“Very sad to announce that I’m not able to continue my run in Stuttgart,” Potapova shared on social media. “Last few days were very tough and unfortunately my old injury came up.”
With this unexpected turn of events, Sabalenka advances to the quarterfinals in Stuttgart for the fifth time in five appearances—this time without having played a single point. Remarkably consistent at this event, she finished as runner-up three years in a row from 2021 to 2023, and now in 2025, she’s aiming to finally break through and lift the trophy.
In Friday’s quarterfinals, Sabalenka will face the winner of the second-round match between eighth seed Diana Shnaider and Elise Mertens.
