Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, others stopped from competing in Stuttgart on Friday, April 18: Here's why
Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka are among the leading stars competing at this week's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2025 in Stuttgart. However, the tournament isn't following its usual schedule for this edition. It had a Monday start keeping in line with the previous editions but the singles final will also be played on a Monday (April 21) this time instead of a Sunday.
The reason for the tournament being extended by another day is because of Good Friday. Usually the quarterfinal matches are contested on Friday, followed by the semifinals on Saturday and the championship round on Sunday. However, with the occurrence of Good Friday this time, no matches will be played on Friday (April 18).
This is due to the local laws of the region. As per laws relating to public holidays in the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, where the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is held, sporting events aren't allowed to be held on days such as Good Friday. Thus, Swiatek, Gauff, Sabalenka, and others will have to wait an additional day to wrap up their quarterfinal matches.
However, this has only affected the singles schedule. The tournament organizers devised the doubles schedule in such a manner that the final will still take place on Sunday (April 20). Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka headline the quarterfinal line-up, which will be held on Saturday (April 19).
Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka vying to reach the semifinals in Stuttgart
Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka all received a bye into the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. The Pole, a two-time champion at the venue, commenced her quest for a third title with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win over Jana Fett. She will face her nemesis Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals. The Latvian leads their head-to-head 5-0.
Gauff was even more dominant and handed Ella Seidel a 6-1, 6-1 beatdown. She will take on fifth seed Jasmine Paolini for a spot in the last four. The American is vying to reach the semifinals here for the first time.
Sabalenka had the easiest route to the quarterfinals. She didn't even have to hit a single shot to make the last eight. Following a first-round bye, her second-round opponent Anastasia Potapova withdrew from the tournament due to an injury and gave her a walkover into the next round.
Sabalenka is a three-time runner-up in Stuttgart. She made three straight finals starting from her debut in 2021. She lost the first final to Ashleigh Barty, while Swiatek beat her the next two times. She lost prior to the final for the first time last year, going down to Marketa Vondrousova in the quarterfinals. Given her current form, another trip to the summit clash isn't out of the question.