The hardcourt hustle is behind us. Spring has arrived, and that means it’s time to lace up and slide on the clay. The WTA tour has officially kicked off its clay season, with the Charleston Open on green clay, where Jessica Pegula came out on top. Now, the focus has shifted to the red dirt in Stuttgart, where the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is in full swing. It’s a star-studded draw, with the top three seeds—Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff all looking to make a deep run. But this year, the tournament has made headlines not just for the tennis, but for its scheduling quirks. Coco Gauff’s ex-coach has highlighted the weirdness of the schedule. Let’s find out what happened!
Due to local laws in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, sporting events can’t be held on certain public holidays, including Good Friday. That caused a one-day pause in the action, meaning the quarterfinal matches couldn’t be played as originally planned. The singles schedule got pushed, and now the final will be held on Monday instead of the usual Sunday. However, doubles matches were unaffected. Organizers reshuffled things so the doubles final still takes place on Sunday, April 20, while the singles final closes the tournament on Monday. This has led to some confusion—and even some complaints.
Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert, took to X and questioned the delay. He posted, “Why was there no matches yesterday at stuttgart @WTA and a Monday final, is that new this year?”
why was there no matches yesterday at stuttgart @WTA and a monday final, is that new this year ? @BastienFachan
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) April 19, 2025
It’s not just fans and coaches scratching their heads. Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed and a three-time Stuttgart finalist, has had quite the unusual ride to the quarterfinals. She received a first-round bye and was supposed to play Anastasia Potapova in the second round. But Potapova withdrew, giving Sabalenka another free pass, without hitting a ball.
“Yeah, that’s a bit awkward,” the top seed said about the schedule shakeup. “But I was worried if everything is okay with her, so I messaged her and I figure out the situation. I was like, ‘What are you doing to me? My next match is on Saturday’. Yeah, that’s a bit awkward. We adjusted a little bit of practice schedule, and I guess that’s gym time for me.”
Now, all the top seeds are vying for a place in the semi-final.
Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka fight for the Stuttgart title
From rest days to gym days, Sabalenka has made the most of the downtime. She’ll now face Elise Mertens for a place in the semifinals. It’s a matchup that will finally get her into match mode this week.
Moving on, top seed Iga Swiatek is off to a flying start in Stuttgart. She’s the two-time defending champion here and wasted no time getting back into rhythm. Swiatek cruised past Jana Fett 6-2, 6-2 in her opening match. Her next challenge? A quarterfinal clash with Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian has a surprising 5-0 head-to-head lead over Swiatek, making this matchup one to circle.
Coco Gauff also made a strong start to her campaign. She demolished Ella Seidel 6-1, 6-1 in the second round. Now she’ll take on fifth seed Jasmine Paolini. Gauff is hoping to reach the semifinals in Stuttgart for the first time in her career. Jessica Pegula, fresh from her Charleston triumph, however, was eliminated from the race in her quarterfinal match against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Stuttgart might just serve up a few more surprises before Monday’s final. This week in Stuttgart has been part tennis, part scheduling puzzle. But the show goes on, just a day later than expected. Will Monday’s final be worth the wait?
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