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After a week's break, the action resumes on the WTA tour at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, also known as the Stuttgart Open. The 44th edition of the WTA 500 tournament will be held from April 18-24.
The tournament has always featured a stacked draw, with top players making it a priority to compete in the German city. It's no different this time around, with seven players from the top-10 set to feature.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek leads the field as the top seed. Jelena Ostapenko, Barbora Krejcikova and Danielle Collins were also set to compete, but withdrew from the tournament. Ashleigh Barty was the defending champion in singles and doubles, but the Australian retired from tennis earlier this year.
On that note, here's all the information you need to know about the Stuttgart Open.
What is the Stuttgart Open?
The Stuttgart Open is one of the oldest tournaments on the WTA tour. The inaugural edition was held in 1978. It's classified as a WTA 500 event and is the only clay tournament to be played indoors.
Until 2008, the tournament was played on an indoor hardcourt and held towards the end of the season. Since 2009, the tournament has been held in April as a warm-up event in the lead-up to Roland Garros.
From its inception in 1978 to 2005, the tournament was held in Filderstadt. Since 2006, the tournament has taken place at its current venue Stuttgart. The Stuttgart Open has been won by many high-profile players, including Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport.
Venue
The tournament will be held at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany and will be played indoors on red clay.
Players
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is the top seed and the heavy favorite to win the title. She's currently on an 18-match winning streak on the WTA tour, having won three consecutive WTA 1000 titles. She's currently competing at the Billie Jean King Cup, where she crushed Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-1, 6-0 in her opening match.
Paula Badosa is the second seed. The Spaniard is a capable player on clay and could make a deep run. Aryna Sabalenka was the runner-up last year, but has struggled to put together decent results so far this year.
Anett Kontaveit and Maria Sakkari are two players who have been rather consistent this season and will fancy their chances.
The tournament will be Emma Raducanu's first on clay. The teenager has had a tough time on tour in recent months, posting quite a few disappointing results following her 2021 US Open victory. But the Brit beat Tereza Martincova in her inaugural Billie Jean King Cup match, winning in straight sets against an experienced claycourt player.
Former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber is a two-time champion at the Stuttgart Open. She'll be eager to put up a good performance in front of her home crowd. The tournament also marks the return of 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreesu. The Canadian hasn't competed since the 2021 Indian Wells in October, and this will be her first tournament of the season.
Prize Money
The total prize money is $757,900. The champion will pocket $68,570 along with 470 ranking points. The winner will also drive home a brand new Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo.
Schedule
The first-round matches will take place until Wednesday, April 20.
The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played on Friday and Saturday respectively. The singles final will be held on Sunday, April 24 at 1 pm local time.
Where to watch
American viewers can catch all the action in Stuttgart live on the Tennis Channel, while fans in the UK will be able to see it on Amazon Prime Video. In Germany, where the tournament is being held, local fans can tune in to Eurosport and Tennis Channel for the broadcast. The matches will also be shown on Porsche Tennis TV. beIN Sports is the official broadcaster in Australia.
