Will Swiatek and Sabalenka Clash Again in Stuttgart?
Swiatek, Sabalenka, and Gauff Lead the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Odds
Can Gauff or Pegula End the Long U.S. Title Drought in Stuttgart?
The big hitters are headed to Stuttgart, Germany with Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff leading the way in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix odds.
Swiatek is looking to become the first player to win three titles in a row in Stuttgart since Maria Sharapova accomplished the feat 10 years ago. Sabalenka can become the first player to reach four consecutive finals in Stuttgart since Tracy Austin played in each of the first five events.
With this being one of the clay-court events leading into the French Open, it is noteworthy that Swiatek has even odds in the French Open women’s singles outrights, followed by Sabalenka at +400 and Gauff at +800.
Emma Raducanu was joined by Germans Angelique Kerber, Tatjana Maria, and Laura Siegmund as players receiving wild cards into the main draw.
Former French Open singles finalist Sara Errani is among the players entered in the qualifying draw. No. 31 Linda Noskova was the last player to gain direct entry into the main draw. The main draw for the 28-player field will begin on Monday, with the singles final set for April 21.
When looking at the WTA schedule, there was a rare week off after the completion of the events in Charleston, Bogota, and La Bisbal D’Emporda, Spain. The WTA 1000 event in Madrid begins on April 23.
Buckle up because there is plenty of star power in Stuttgart as the clay-court season continues on the WTA tour.
Plenty of Top Contenders in Stuttgart
With No. 6 Maria Sakkari the only player in the top 10 in the current WTA rankings not playing in Stuttgart, this could be an event to remember.
Swiatek and Sabalenka are on opposite sides of the bracket, so the same two players could meet in three straight Stuttgart finals, but that has never happened.
It is hardly a surprise that Swiatek and Sabalenka lead the way in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Odds.
The last time the top player converged on a tournament, neither Swiatek nor Sabalenka made it to the quarterfinals in Miami.
Among the players to play in at least 15 matches so far this year, Swiatek leads the WTA by winning 83% of her service games, while Elena Rybakina is the WTA leader with 187 service aces.
No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina reached the Miami finals, Qinwen Zheng reached the Australian Open final in January while Marketa Vondrousouva is the reigning Wimbledon champion.
When looking at other tennis betting options, Sabalenka is priced at -110 to win at least two Grand Slam singles titles in 2024, followed by Swiatek at +200, and Gauff and Rybakina at +1200.
A Look At the U.S. Hopes
At least one U.S.-born player appeared in 10 of the first 13 WTA events in Stuttgart. However, in the last 17 events, the only American to reach the singles final was 2018 finalist CoCo Vandeweghe.
The last time a U.S. player reached the quarterfinals was in 2008, when Vandeweghe not only got to the quarterfinals but stunned top-ranked Simona Halep on her way to the title match.
That might change this year with Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Emma Navarro all entered in the tournament.
This will be the first time that Pegula has entered the Stuttgart event, while Gauff leads the way among the U.S. players when it comes to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Odds.
For those wondering why Gauff is No. 2 in the WTA rankings but seeded behind No. 3 Sabalenka, it is because Sabalenka was ranked ahead of Gauff at the time of the entry list deadline.
Danielle Collins has won back-to-back tournaments after beating Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur, Sloane Stephens, Elise Mertens, Maria Sakkari, and Daria Kasatkina to win in Charleston, South Carolina. That came after she topped four top-25 players, including Rybakina, in the final to win the WTA 1000 Miami Open title. She was originally on the qualifying list for Stuttgart but is not playing in Stuttgart.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
While each of the top four seeds reached the quarterfinals in the 2023 Stuttgart event, the other seeded players were not as fortunate.
Gauff was seeded fifth when she lost to unseeded Anastasia Potapova in the second round. Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina withdrew in her second-round match, while No. 7 seed Daria Kasatkina and No. 8 Maria Sakkari fell in the first round.
A quick peek at some WTA tennis scores shows that Potapova was the only seeded player to reach the semifinals after she topped fourth-seeded Caroline Garcia in three sets. Sabalenka ended Potapova’s unlikely run with a 6-1, 6-2 win in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, No. 3 seed Ons Jabeur retired early in the first set.
Swiatek topped Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4 in the final to become the first back-to-back singles champion in Stuttgart since Kerber accomplished that feat in 2015 and 2016.
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