Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: How Will Aryna Sabalenka’s Delayed Start Impact Her?

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is eager to start playing at the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.  However, tennis fans will not see her in action until Saturday’s quarterfinals against either Elise Mertens or Diana Shnaider.

Sabalenka has been practicing and working out in the gym because of a surprise withdrawal of her Round of 16 opponent, Anastasia Potapova, who defeated Clara Tauson in her first-round match but was forced to withdraw from the tournament afterwards.

Because Sabalenka had a first-round bye, her unexpected second-round walkover meant that she has not started play in the tournament, her first clay court tournament of the year.

Sabalenka starting her Stuttgart tournament on Saturday because:
— WTA 500s have first round byes for top seeds
— her second round opponent withdrew
— local laws prohibit sport events on Good Friday

Tennis scheduling just can’t help not being a mess 😭

— Oleg S. (@AnnaK_4ever) April 15, 2025

This is a tournament that Sabalenka desperately wants to win.  She has finished as the finalist to the then World No. 1 three times: Ashleigh Barty in 2021 and Iga Swiatek in 2022 and 2023.  This is a WTA 500 tournament where the winner gets a brand new Porsche as part of the prize, and Sabalenka has come so close to winning the car.

Aryna Sabalenka on wanting the Porsche in Stuttgart:

“I’m just trying to focus on my game and don’t think about the car and hopefully I can get it from the 3rd try.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/RXnPUfy9xe

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 21, 2023

Now that she is World No. 1, Sabalenka wants to change the narrative for herself in Stuttgart.  Will the delayed start help or hinder her?

Slow Start To 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix

It has been a sluggish start to the tournament.  Qinwen Zheng, Danielle Collins, Paula Badosa, and Barbora Krejcikova withdrew before the draw was set.

Potapova’s withdrawal,  Erika Andreeva’s retirement in a much-awaited match against her sister Mirra Andreeva, and Dayana Yastremka’s retirement during her match against Jelena Ostapenko have limited the early round action.

Swiatek has entered the chat 📲@iga_swiatek starts her 2025 clay season against @JanaFett in Stuttgart!#PorscheTennis pic.twitter.com/jU6CFJd5FV

— wta (@WTA) April 16, 2025

This tournament is also unusual this year in that the quarterfinals are on Saturday, the semifinals on Sunday, and the final is on Monday, April 21.  Iga Swiatek is a two-time champion (2022 and 2023), and the only active player who has won this tournament, still in the draw.  Defending champion Elena Rybakina is not playing this year, having competed last week in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying matches on behalf of Kazakhstan.