Outstanding tennis, great emotions and a sell-out crowd in the Porsche Arena: the sixth day at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix above all produced comfortable wins for the top favourites. As Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini have all progressed, it means three Top 6 have progressed to the quarterfinals to join the world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and the world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, Porsche Friend in Poland.
As for Jule Niemeier, the round of the last 16 match against Jasmine Paolini marked the end of an essentially positive tournament week. The 25-year-old German was equal to the Italian over long periods but in the end was defeated 6-1, 7-5. In the second set in particular, Niemeier showed great fighting spirit and even had a set ball at 5-4, but Paolini stayed rock solid. ‟It was a tough match. Jule served incredibly and her forehand was really powerful,” said the World No. 6 who had previously knocked out Eva Lys, Porsche Friend in Germany, out of the Stuttgart tournament. Jule Niemeier herself saw the negatives and positives saying, ‟The first set was poor but to come back and play such a tight set was very positive.” Despite the loss, the 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinalist felt her display was very encouraging: ‟I had hoped for more today, but I was able to show that I can keep up with top-ranked players.”
Ella Seidel’s exciting Porsche Tennis Grand Prix journey also ended in the last 16. The 20-year-old from the Porsche Talent Team met the 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff and lost 6-1, 6-1. The American was in magnificent form on Centre Court. ‟It feels really good to be back. I was moving well on court,” said the 21-year-old after the match. When asked about the winner’s car, she smiled and revealed that, ‟I drive a 911, so I like it when things go fast.” A Porsche Macan Turbo would therefore fit in well with her car-pool.
Making her debut at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Jessica Pegula was a convincing 6-1, 6-1 winner against the Pole Magdalena Frech. The world No. 2 from America took only 59 minutes to advance to the round of the last eight. ‟I am super happy. It was a fantastic match for me,” said the 31-year-old. She was also satisfied with the conditions in the Porsche Arena: ‟The court feels good, not much different to the one in Charleston.” The tournament in America was where she won her first clay court title at the start of April.
Ekaterina Alexandrova celebrated a surprisingly victory early afternoon. The 30-year-old beat the No. 6 seed Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-2. Late on in the evening, Jelena Ostapenko followed into the quarterfinals. The 2017 French Open champion overcame the No. 7 seeded Emma Navarro from America in a match that first went one way and then the other – 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.
Top-class quarterfinals on Saturday
After the day off on Good Friday, Saturday is quarterfinals day in the Porsche Arena. Jessica Pegula will start proceedings against Ekaterina Alexandrova. It will be their fifth meeting – their head-to-head record is all-square. They last played in the Charleston semifinals when Pegula prevailed. Immediately afterwards Iga Swiatek, will be up against Jelena Ostapenko – an opponent against whom she has never won. The 2017 French Open champion was victorious in her five matches against the world No. 2. Swiatek, the 2022 and 2023 Stuttgart winner, will be appearing for the fourth time in succession in the quarterfinals at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
The day’s third singles match – not before 5.00 pm – will see Aryna Sabalenka take on Elise Mertens from Belgium. It is the 11th time the two players have faced each other – the head-to-heads are 8-2 in the favour of the world No. 1. They met for the last time in the last 16 at the 2024 US Open – here again Sabalenka had the upper hand when winning in two sets. As for Mertens, it is her first quarterfinal at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. They will be followed – not before 6.30 – by the match between Jasmine Paolini and Coco Gauff. The American has won both the previous two encounters with the Italian – most recently in 2023 at the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati.
Thursday’s results
Centre Court
2nd round - singles
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs [6] Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-2
[5] Jasmine Paolini (ITA) vs [WC] Jule Niemeier (GER) 6-1, 7-5
[3] Jessica Pegula (USA) vs Magdalena Frech (POL) 6-1, 6-1
[4] Coco Gauff (USA) vs [LL] Ella Seidel (GER) 6-1, 6-1
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) vs [7] Emma Navarro (USA) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2
Court 1
Quarterfinals – doubles
[1] Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN)/ Erin Routliffe (NZL) vs Alexandra Panova/Fanny Stollar (HUN) 6-4, 6-2
Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA)/Liudmila Samsonova vs [4] Asia Muhammad (USA)/Demi Schuurs (NED) 6-1, 6-1
Ekaterina Alexandrova/Shuai Zhang (CHN) vs [2] Sara Errani (ITA)/Jasmine Paolini (ITA) 6-2, 2-6, 10-8
Saturday’s schedule
Centre Court
Quarterfinals, singles
From 12.30 pm
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs [3] Jessica Pegula (USA)
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) vs [2] Iga Swiatek (POL)
Not before 5.00 pm
[1] Arina Sabalenka vs Elise Mertens (BEL)
Not before 6.30 pm
[4] Coco Gauff (USA) vs [5] Jasmine Paolini (ITA)
Court 1
Semifinals, doubles
From 1.30 pm
[1] Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN)/Erin Routliffe (NZL) vs Timea Babos (HUN)/Luisa Stefani (BRA)
Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA)/Liudmila Samsonova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova/Shuai Zhang (CHN)
Porsche in Tennis
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is the flagship of Porsche’s worldwide involvement in women’s tennis. First played in Filderstadt in 1978, the long-standing Stuttgart tournament has been held in the city’s Porsche Arena since 2006. It stands for tradition and innovation, as does the Porsche brand. As the most loyal sponsor of women’s international tennis, Porsche has accompanied the WTA’s oldest indoor event right from the start. Porsche has also been supporting women’s tennis internationally for years. Iga Swiatek, Eva Lys and Maria Sakkari are ‟Friends of the Brand” in their home countries. Porsche has been a premium partner of the ‟Deutsche Tennis Bund” (DTB – German Tennis Association) since 2012 and is committed to fostering up-and-coming players in the Porsche Talent Team and the Porsche Junior Team.
