Stuttgart 2015

[Hoergren]

Time for clay - indoors at first in Stuttgart

Here is the arena - nice look

Tier: Premier Prize Money: $731,000 Surface: Clay Director: Markus Guenthardt

First played in 1978 and winner of the WTA's Premier Tournament Of The Year award in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is Europe's oldest indoor women's event and is the lone indoor clay tournament on the calendar. Previously a fall hardcourt event, Stuttgart became a red clay tournament staged in the spring in 2009, making it ideal preparation for Roland Garros. In fact, the clay comes from France and its grain size of 0.1 mm is the same that is used at the French Open.

Here is the draw: REVISED Jancovic and KUZNETSOVA, PETKOVIC have withdrawn. Never seen so many QUALIFIER/LUCKY LOSER in one part of a draw!

Top Half

1 SHARAPOVA, Maria RUS
2 BYE
3 QUALIFIER/LUCKY LOSER
4 KERBER, Angelique GER
5 QUALIFIER/LUCKY LOSER
6 QUALIFIER/LUCKY LOSER
7 QUALIFIER/LUCKY LOSER
8 MAKAROVA, Ekaterina RUS

9 KVITOVA, Petra CZE
10 BYE
11 QUALIFIER/LUCKY LOSER
12 BRENGLE, Madison USA
13 WITTHOEFT, Carina GER
14 BARTHEL, Mona GER
15 GARCIA, Caroline FRA
16 IVANOVIC, Ana SRB

Bottom half

17 SUÁREZ NAVARRO, Carla ESP
18 QUALIFIER/LUCKY LOSER
19 GOERGES, Julia GER
20 BENCIC, Belinda SUI
21 QUALIFIER/LUCKY LOSER
22 SAFAROVA, Lucie CZE
23 BYE
24 WOZNIACKI, Caroline DEN

25 RADWANSKA, Agnieszka POL
26 ERRANI, Sara ITA
27 LISICKI, Sabine GER
28 DIYAS, Zarina KAZ
29 STRYCOVA, Barbora CZE
30 MUGURUZA, Garbiñe ESP
31 BYE
32 HALEP, Simona ROU

 

[Hoergren]

Player on the way after FED cup

 

[10isfan]

Why is Vika not playing? Is her ranking too low?

 

[Hoergren]

Why is Vika not playing? Is her ranking too low?

I don't think that's the reason as Georges is taking part and she's currently #62 and Witthoeft #74 but these locals together with 4 qualifiers and a too late entry might be part of the answer. She had a couple of exhausting weeks in Wells and Miami and FED cup so maybe a break before Madrid is a good thing.

 

[Hoergren]

So on it goes - here is the order of play Monday 20/4 - 4 quali finals and 1 first round

A REMAR

Centre Court
13:30 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) V Alberta Brianti (ITA) Q 61 62
15:30 - Chin-Wei Chan / Chen Liang (TPE / CHN) V Belinda Bencic / Simona Halep (SUI / ROU) 61 57 10-8
20:30 - Carina Witthoeft (GER) V Mona Barthel (GER)

Court 1
12:00 - Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) V Alexa Glatch (USA) Q 06 64 64
14:00 - Petra Martic (CRO) V Yuliya Beygelzimer (UKR) Q 26 76 64
15:00 - Marina Melnikova (RUS) V [5] Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) Q 26 26

A remarkable qualification with 3 lucky losers
ALL players marked with blue are in the main draw as LL.

Brianti, Melnikova & Beygelzimer

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Hoergren, it looks like the surface is Yellow Clay in the picture you posted. But, you are saying it is red clay in writing. What is the reality?

 

[Hoergren]

Hoergren, it looks like the surface is Yellow Clay in the picture you posted. But, you are saying it is red clay in writing. What is the reality?

You're right but it's the way the light is on - here is another picture from Kids day where you can see that it's correct with red clay:

 

[10isfan]

Interesting tournament. Let's see if

Kerber continues to play well
Ivanovic and Aga snap out of their slumps
Carla's wrist has healed
Mugu has the focus to beat Halep

 

[Hoergren]

Results Tuesday

Barbora STRYCOVA (CZE) vs Garbiñe MUGURUZA (ESP) 16 46
Carla SUÁREZ NAVARRO (ESP) [8] vs [Q] Evgeniya RODINA (RUS) 62 67 64
[Q] Kateryna BONDARENKO (UKR) vs Lucie SAFAROVA (CZE) 67 46
Caroline GARCIA (FRA) vs Ana IVANOVIC (SRB) [5] 76 64
[Q] Bethanie MATTEK-SANDS (USA) vs Ekaterina MAKAROVA (RUS) [6] 46 67
Eva HRDINOVA (CZE)/Nicole MELICHAR (USA) vs Arantxa PARRA SANTONJA (ESP)?Alicja ROSOLSKA (POL)

Darija JURAK (CRO)/Barbora KREJCIKOVA (CZE) vs Julia GOERGES (GER)/Sabine LISICKI (GER) 36 63 5-10
Oksana KALASHNIKOVA (GEO)/Katerina SINIAKOVA (CZE) vs Klaudia JANS-IGNACIK (POL)/Andreja KLEPAC (SLO) [4] 46 06
Janette HUSAROVA (SVK)/Paula KANIA (POL) vs Mona BARTHEL (GER)/Mandy MINELLA (LUX) 62 61
[Q] Petra MARTIC (CRO) vs [LL] Marina MELNIKOVA (RUS) 46 26
[LL] Alberta BRIANTI (ITA) vs Madison BRENGLE (USA) 46 46

 

[Hoergren]

Order of play Wednesday 22/4

CENTRE COURT Starting at: 12:00 noon

Agnieszka RADWANSKA (POL) [7] vs Sara ERRANI (ITA) 67 46
Sabine LISICKI (GER) vs Zarina DIYAS (KAZ) 06 06:eyepop
[LL] Yuliya BEYGELZIMER (UKR) vs Angelique KERBER (GER) 26 57
[WC] Julia GOERGES (GER) vs Belinda BENCIC (SUI) 63 36 57
Martina HINGIS (SUI)/Sania MIRZA (IND) [1] vs Petra MARTIC (CRO)/Stephanie VOGT (LIE)
36 36
Bethanie MATTEK-SANDS (USA)Lucie SAFAROVA (CZE) [3] vs Jocelyn RAE (GBR)Anna SMITH (GBR) 62 61
[WC] Antonia LOTTNER (GER)Carina WITTHOEFT (GER) vs Caroline GARCIA (FRA)Katarina SREBOTNIK (SLO) [2] 36 36
Garbiñe MUGURUZA (ESP) vs Simona HALEP (ROU) [2] 63 16 36

 

[kskate2]

Ana's slide continues. Dismissed in straights by Garcia in R1 (Caroline really has her number. The 3rd straight loss to the Frenchwoman).

 

[tented]

Order of play Wednesday 22/4

CENTRE COURT Starting at: 12:00 noon

Agnieszka RADWANSKA (POL) [7] vs Sara ERRANI (ITA)

Aga needs to get it together. Was hiring Martina a bad thing, for some reason? I'm very disappointed in her.

Also, thank you, hoergren, for posting the schedules! You're always a great help.

 

[kskate2]

That will be a tough match for Aga. I hope she comes through, but Sara is the female Rafa on clay. She's crafty and excels this time of year. Plus she's riding a wave of confidence coming off the Italy Fed Cup last weekend.

 

[sk310]

Why is Vika not playing? Is her ranking too low?

If I remember correctly Vika hasn't ever really played in Stuttgart regularly. It's not a premier event and she never puts much emphasis on clay.

 

[kskate2]

Just as I thought, tough match for Aga. She goes down in flames 7-5, 6-4 to the crafty Italian. :cover

 

[kskate2]

Sabine eating a bagel against Diyas. I guess she only raises her game when playing against the top players. :speechless:

 

[Kirijax]

Really disappointed in Radwanska, Wozniacki and Ivanovic this season. They are going to drop way down the rankings at this rate. Woz not so much maybe but the other two...wow.

 

[kskate2]

Make that a bagel and 4-0 for Diyas. Can Sabine escape the double doughnut?

 

[Front242]

Haven't watched any tennis in a few weeks but that's embarrassing for Lisicki. Double bagel?! Not intending to discredit her opponent but when Lisicki has such a powerful serve and can't even hold once maybe her shoulder has begun to hurt again. Only thing I can think of. Imagine she must have served a ton of double faults.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Is there a competition between Ana and Aga as to who scuk more?