"Coco Gauff, easy draw as usual, establishment demands a second Serena Williams" - Fans react to Stuttgart 2024 draw ft. Iga Swiatek & Aryna Sabalenka

Tennis fans have shared their thoughts on the draw for the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, featuring the likes of Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka kicking off their claycourt season.

Swiatek enters the WTA 500 event as the top seed and two-time defending champion, receiving a first-round bye. Leading the first quarter, she commences her campaign against Elise Mertens or Tatjana Maria.

Potential quarterfinal opponents for the Pole include Jelena Ostapenko and Linda Noskova, who lock horns with each other, with the winner facing Emma Raducanu or Angelique Kerber.

Fourth seed Elena Rybakina and seventh seed Ons Jabeur headline the second quarter. While Rybakina awaits the winner of Barbora Krejcikova and Veronika Kudermetova in the second round, Jabeur begins her campaign against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round.

Coco Gauff leads the third quarter and faces a qualifier in her opening match in the second round. The World No. 3's potential quarterfinal opponents include Zheng Qinwen, Marta Kostyuk, Laura Siegemund and Sorana Cirstea.

Aryna Sabalenka, who has had three consecutive runner-up finishes in Stuttgart, kicks off her quest for her maiden title at the WTA 500 event against Paula Badosa or Diana Shnaider. The Belarusian could face Marketa Vondrousova or Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals.

Tennis fans weighed in on the draw, with many suggesting that Coco Gauff received a significantly easier draw compared to the other top contenders.

"Another draw where Gauff sails through two rounds of playing qualifiers and people who are low-ranking yet Iga faces Mertens and Rybakina plays Kudermetova first," one fan commented.

"Oh another easy Coco draw," another fan commented.

"Coco, easy draw as usual. Establishment demands a second Serena," said another.

Meanwhile, several fans bemoaned the seemingly tough draw for Iga Swiatek, questioning why she always faced challenging matchups against Jelena Ostapenko and Linda Noskova.

"It's pretty obvious at this point, you cant even deny it the Swiatek will always get the hardest draw while Gauff and Sabalenka the cakewalk draws," one fan posted.

"They really don’t want Iga winning," another fan chimed in.

"And ofc Noskova and Penko are in Iga’s quarter," wrote another.

Fans also raised complaints about the repetitive nature of the matchups since the start of the season.

"They are almost the same draws since AO. It's not funny anymore...," a fan commented.

"These scripted draws are getting tiring. It’s the only way they can create rivalries," another fan shared.

"Iga got Noskova. Again. And Sabalenka got her BFF. Again," said yet another.

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"It would be desirable for Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina to play each other more often; this is the case in Stuttgart, but it still happens too rarely" - Andrea Petkovic

Iga Swiatek (L) and Coco Gauff

In a recent interview, Andrea Petkovic asserted that the quartet of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina had separated themselves from the rest of the tour.

However, the German emphasized that they all need to face each other more often to forge captivating rivalries, acknowledging that while such clashes are likely to take place at the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart, they happen too infrequently overall.

"I see the quartet (Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina) mentioned as a tick above all the others. It would be desirable for these to play each other more often. This is the case at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, but overall it still happens too rarely," she told Eurosport.

Petkovic also said that regular matches between the aforementioned quartet could establish them as "stars" and allow them to form compelling rivalries similar to the ones between Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

"If that changes, these players will become stars who shine beyond the world of tennis - and we will have rivalries like the one between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner," she added.