WTA Stuttgart draw: Iga Swiatek and nemesis Jelena Ostapenko on collision course, with others in action
The WTA European clay-court season gets underway in Stuttgart, with 500 points and $1,064,510 on offer for the victor.
Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula are all in action – looking to gain form ahead of the Parisian Grand Slam in late May.
Last year, Elena Rybakina won the event by defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2 in the final, but she won’t return this campaign due to scheduling as she participated in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in Australia.
2025 marks the 47th edition of the event, taking place at the Porsche Arena which has hosted the event since 2006.
Aryna Sabalenka
The world No 1 will be seeking her first title at the event, having reached the final in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
In her opening match, Sabalenka will face either Anastasia Potapova or Clara Tauson. The Russian has met the 2025 Australian Open champion once, at the Stuttgart event in 2023 – where she was easily dismissed, 6-1, 6-2.
On the other hand, both of the Dane’s meetings against the Belarusian have come this season, with the results split. At 2025’s first Grand Slam, Sabalenka was victorious 7-6(5), 6-4 before Tauson got her revenge via a 6-3, 6-2 win in Dubai just a few weeks later in Dubai.
Sabalenka would then face Elise Mertens and Diana Shnaider in the last eight, having never faced the latter. Mertens and the world No 1 have clashed on 10 occasions, with the Belarusian victorious in eight of those meetings.
Coco Gauff
World No 3 Coco Gauff had a relatively disappointing Indian Wells and Miami, losing in the round of 16 at both WTA 1000 events.
The American opens in Stuttgart against Tatjana Maria or – more likely, Danielle Collins. Maria has faced Gauff twice, both at hard court events, unsuccessful on both occasions.
Collins and Gauff have yet to meet on tour, with the former defeating Jelena Ostapenko at the Charleston Open early in April, before losing in a tight three-set match to Jessica Pegula.
Jasmine Paolini, the fifth seed, is projected to be Gauff’s quarterfinal opponent. The Italian hasn’t faced the former US Open champion since August 2023, with both of their meetings coming on hard courts and Gauff winning four of the five sets.
Other potential opponents are Eva Lys, Laura Siegemund, and Jule Niemeier.
Jessica Pegula
Pegula has already lifted a trophy at a clay-court event this season, having won the 2025 Charleston Open by defeating Sofia Kenin 6-3, 7-5 in the final.
In her first Stuttgart match, she will face either Rebecca Sramkova or Magdalena Frech. Pegula faced the latter in Madrid last year, winning 7-6(5), 6-3, and at the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic – victorious 6-3, 6-0 on that occasion.
Andreeva is projected to await Pegula in the last eight and has shown sensational form in 2025 after winning two WTA 1000 events. The two have never met before, with Ekaterina Alexandrova and Marta Kostyuk – who made the 2024 final – other options.
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Iga Swiatek
The world No 2 has had a mixed last 10 months, having not reached a final since Roland Garros in 2024.
In Stuttgart, Swiatek will open against either a qualifier or Donna Vekic. The Croat has faced the world No 2 on four occasions, with Swiatek claiming eight of their nine sets played.
Seventh seed Emma Navarro is projected to face the five-time Grand Slam champion in the third round, having lost their two meetings easily.
However, Jelena Ostapenko is also lurking in that quarter – with the Latvian holding a dominant 5-0 head-to-head record against Swiatek – including a straight-sets victory in Dubai this season.
Beatriz Haddad Maia is another option for a last-eight opponent.
