Coco Gauff will need to wait an extra day before continuing her Stuttgart Open journey, as regional regulations in Baden-Württemberg prohibit sporting events from taking place on Good Friday. This scheduling rule has delayed all quarterfinal matches at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix until Saturday.
This year’s edition has seen the top five seeds — Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Jasmine Paolini — all progress to the last eight.
Gauff, after early exits in both Indian Wells and the Miami Open, advanced to the quarterfinals with a solid win over Ella Seidel. She’s now set to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Pegula, who recently climbed to No. 3 in the WTA rankings, will face Ekaterina Alexandrova. Aryna Sabalenka, coming off her recent title win in Miami, will challenge Elise Mertens, and world No. 1 Swiatek will square off against Jelena Ostapenko.
Due to the Good Friday regulations, quarterfinal play — traditionally held on Friday — has been rescheduled. The matches will now begin around 12:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, with the final match of the day expected to start no earlier than 6:30 p.m.
The semifinals and the doubles final will be staged on Sunday, while the singles champion will be crowned on Monday. Along with the trophy and a substantial prize, the winner will drive away with a new Porsche.
Gauff, who’s looking to fine-tune her clay court skills in preparation for Roland-Garros, has been more proactive this season. The 21-year-old, currently ranked fourth in the world, is aiming to add a second Grand Slam title to her résumé after capturing the U.S. Open crown in 2023.
She previously finished runner-up to Swiatek at the French Open in 2022 and hopes that an earlier switch to clay will give her an edge this time.
“Right after Miami, I was already practicing on clay,” Gauff shared after her win over Seidel. “Last year I felt like I arrived a little too late, especially since I played my first match on a Wednesday. This time I made the choice to come early, to get used to both the clay and the indoor setup here. I think it’s working out for me.”
Sabalenka, on the other hand, has had an unusual route to the quarterfinals without hitting a single match ball. The world No. 2 received a first-round bye as a seeded player and was set to meet Anastasia Potapova in the second round, but Potapova withdrew, handing Sabalenka a walkover.
When asked about the unexpected downtime, Sabalenka admitted it felt a little odd. “It’s been strange,” she said with a smile. “I reached out to check on her, just to make sure she’s okay.
But yeah, I told her, ‘What are you doing to me? Now I have to wait until Saturday!’ I’ve had to tweak my practice routine a bit, so it’s been more gym sessions for me in the meantime.”