Linz Open 2023: Women's draw, schedule, players, prize money breakdown and more | Upper Austria Ladies Linz
The 36th edition of the Linz Open will start on Monday, February 6. Alison Riske won the last edition (2021) but will not be competing in the tournament this year.
Maria Sakkari is the top seed at the WTA 250 event in 2023 and will enter the tournament as arguably the heaviest favorite to win. The likes of Ekaterina Alexandrova and Donna Vekic will also be in the reckoning to win the competition, as will others like Petra Martic and Irina-Camelia Begu.
On that note, here's everything you need to know about the tournament.
What is the Linz Open?
The Linz Open is a hardcourt tennis tournament that takes place in Linz, Austria. The inaugural edition of the event took place in 1987 and has since taken place every year except 2022.
It originally started as an ITF tournament but became a WTA tour event in 1991. While the Linz Open may not be the most prestigious competition, it does have several notable champions like Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Lindsay Davenport, Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber, to name a few.
The last edition of the tournament was held in 2021, with Alison Riske winning it by beating Jaqueline Cristian 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the final.
Venue
The TipsArena Linz, with a capacity of 6000, is the venue for the Linz Open.
Players
World No. 7 Maria Sakkari is the top seed at the 2023 Linz Open and is the only Top-10 player competing in the tournament.
The Greek produced some impressive performances towards the tail-end of the 2022 season and has so far won five out of seven matches in 2023. Sakkari suffered a disappointing third-round exit at the Australian Open and will be eager to win her first title since 2019.
World No. 17 Ekaterina Alexandrova is seeded second and is also among the favorites to win it. The Russian won two titles in 2022 and has won three out of five matches so far this season.
Fifth seed Donna Vekic reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and will look to have a good run in Linz. The likes of Irina-Camelia Begu, Angelina Kalinina, Petra Martic, Bernarda Pera and Anastasia Potapova complete the list of seeded players, with each of them capable of having a long run in the tournament.
Prize Money
The total prize money for the tournament is $259,303. The winner will pocket $43,000 along with 280 ranking points.
Schedule
The first-round matches will take place until Wednesday, February 8. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played on Friday and Saturday respectively. The singles final will be held on Sunday (February 12) at 3 pm local time.
Where to Watch
Viewers in the US, UK, Canada and Australia can watch the Linz Open live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.
UK: UK viewers can catch all the action live on Prime Video.
Australia: All matches will be telecast on beIN Sports.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on TSN.