The Tennis World Shaken: Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff Benched as Stuttgart Open Quarter-Finals Delayed
In a shocking turn of events at the Stuttgart Open, top players Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff have been sidelined as the Quarter-Finals have been rescheduled, leaving fans and players alike in disbelief. The tournament, currently in the Quarter-Finals stage, has been halted due to Good Friday regulations in the region, preventing any matches from taking place today. This unexpected development means that star players such as Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff will have to wait until Easter Monday to showcase their skills on the court.
Despite securing a spot in the Quarter-Finals, Sabalenka has yet to compete this week, receiving a bye and a walk-over in previous rounds. The World No.1 will face Elise Mertens in the next round, with the potential to claim the title in just three matches. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff is set to go head-to-head with Jasmine Paolini, and Jessica Pegula will battle Ekaterina Alexandrova. Top seed Iga Swiatek is scheduled to play against Jelena Ostapenko in the upcoming matches.
The unexpected schedule change, mandated by the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, has also impacted the players’ preparation for the upcoming Madrid Open, which begins shortly after the Stuttgart Open concludes. While some players may not be significantly affected by the delay in their matches, the back-to-back tournaments pose a challenge for others, including those looking ahead to the Rome Open.
Despite the setback, players like Alexander Zverev have been able to continue their matches in Munich unaffected by the regional regulations that have disrupted the Stuttgart Open. The tennis world remains on edge as fans eagerly await the resumption of the Stuttgart Open Quarter-Finals and the thrilling matches that are sure to follow in the days ahead.
At Porsche Arena Stuttgart, Germany, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is taking place on red clay indoors. Aryna Sabalenka (1) advanced to the Quarter-Finals after defeating Anastasia Potapova by walkover in the Round of 16 on Friday, April 18, 2025. Sabalenka is yet to play her first clay court match of the season. The world number one was victorious last time out as Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula in the final of the Miami Open. Sabalenka was set to return in Stuttgart for her first appearance on clay in 2025, but hasn’t taken to the court as of yet.
Entering the event as the number one seed, Sabalenka skipped the first round and advanced to the quarterfinals when Anastasia Potopova withdrew due to injury. Therefore, with just three days left of the competition, the WTA Tour’s top-ranked player still hasn’t played her first match in Stuttgart. Ahead of her quarterfinal clash with Elise Mertens on Saturday, many have shared their concerns as to how this week’s schedule may have harmed Sabalenka’s French Open preparations.
Mitch Michaels, host of the Inside-In Tennis Podcast, shared his thoughts on Sabalenka’s first clay-court tournament of 2025. “It is crazy how the schedule works. She has a bye and a walkover,” he said. “They are off because of the schedule, because of the rules, no tennis on Good Friday. So the final will actually be on a Monday. So [Aryna] Sabalenka doesn’t play her first match in this tournament until Saturday. Hanging out in Stuttgart and going right to the quarterfinals is odd.”
Michaels explained how Sabalenka’s progression through to the quarters via walkover may have done her more harm than good. “I would say that for somebody whose goals are to win Roland Garros and extend her lead as the best player in the world, I think she might have preferred a match instead of that walkover,” he said.
Former Olympic Gold medalist Monica Puig agreed, giving insight into how Sabalenka will have felt this week. “She just wants to get out there and play,” said Puig. “She is the Tiger. She is not this type of player who is like yes, okay, great, I can have a day to rest. She is not the type of player who shies away from the competition; she wants it and lives it.”
“Her best self is when she is in these moments, so for her to be waiting is probably making her antsy, but she has such a great relationship with her team. I think off the court things are going really well for her,” Puig continued.
“Mentally, she seems to be in a great place, so I can only assume that everybody is just trying to keep her calm and be like you’re going to get out there eventually, so keep her calm, keep working, and do what we have to do.” Puig reflected on Sabalenka’s progression on clay courts over recent years and how further match experience will see her continue to improve. “Last season [Sabalenka] was really showing some great signs of playing really well on the clay,” she said.
“I feel like the clay in Madrid, for example, Rome is a little slower, but Madrid and the French Open they are faster courts, I feel like the ball zips through the air really quickly. So it’s all in her favour to have success in the clay season.”
Who is joining Aryna Sabalenka in the Stuttgart quarterfinals? The field in Stuttgart has been whittled down from 28 to eight since the tournament began five days ago. Sabalenka will be joined in the quarterfinals by four top-ten players, including clay-court specialist and world number two, Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek beat Jana Fett in her Stuttgart opener, 6-2, 6-2, as she now prepares for a tough test against one of her biggest WTA rivals. The five-time Major champion will play Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals, whom she trails in the head-to-head 0-5. If Swiatek can finally secure her first-ever victory over Ostapenko, she’ll no doubt look ahead to a potential 13th career meeting with Sabalenka in the final.
As the anticipation builds for the Stuttgart Open, all eyes will be on the performances of these elite players as they navigate the challenges of the tournament and prepare for the upcoming clay season.
