STUTTGART, Germany -- The draw for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is out. World No.1 and two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek and No.2 Aryna Sabalenka lead the jam-packed draw at the WTA 500 tournament, which includes eight of the Hologic WTA Tour's Top 10.
Stuttgart: Draws | Schedule | Scores
The first round will see a clash of wild cards, as former No.1 Angelique Kerber faces 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in a first-time meeting. Raducanu comes to Stuttgart off a successful weekend at the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers, where she earned wins over Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry to lead Great Britain to a 3-1 win over France.
Kerber, a champion in Stuttgart in 2015 and 2016, is set to compete at the Porsche Tennis Arena for the first time since 2022.
The top four seeds, Swiatek, Sabalenka, No.3 Coco Gauff, and No.4 Elena Rybakina, have first-round byes.
Main draw in Stuttgart (WTA 500), where Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina are the top seeds. pic.twitter.com/kXeRdM7L58
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) April 14, 2024
Swiatek is bidding to become the first three-time champion in Stuttgart since Maria Sharapova swept the titles from 2012-2014. She will open her tournament in the second round against either Elise Mertens or Tatjana Maria.
Looming in Swiatek's quarter is No.8 seed Jelena Ostapenko, who opens against Linda Noskova. The winner will face either Raducanu or Kerber.
No.4 seed Rybakina and No.7 seed Ons Jabeur anchor the second quarter. Jabeur will open her tournament against Miami semifinalist Ekaterina Alexandrova.
No.3 seed Coco Gauff and No.5 seed Zheng Qinwen were drawn into the bottom half of the draw and anchor the third quarter. Gauff will face a qualifier in her second-round opener. Zheng will face Romania's Sorana Cirstea.
No.2 Sabalenka, a finalist in the last three editions, leads the bottom quarter. She could face former No.2 Paula Badosa in the second round. The Spaniard will face a qualifier in the first round.
Main draw play begins on Monday, April 15.
