It's a semi-final day steeped in history at the Linz Design Centre! For the first time since 1997, an Austrian woman will be fighting for a place in the final of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz.
Anastasia Potapova, who already won the tournament under a different flag in 2023, is determined to fulfil her dream of reaching the final on home soil.
When Potapova started her first tournament as an Austrian in Austria against Zhang Shuai on Wednesday, the tension was clearly noticeable. But that has now been blown away. „I enjoyed every moment today. I didn't feel any pressure and I wasn't scared either. I only had positive thoughts, which helped me a lot in the match. That's why I was able to show my best tennis,“ analysed Potapova, who is still without a set loss in the tournament.
After difficult months without confidence, the 25-year-old is blossoming in her new home of all places and has quickly won the hearts of Upper Austrian tennis fans with her varied but also enormously powerful game. Much is reminiscent of her successful run three years ago, only this time everything is a little more emotional and she is determined to use her home advantage to achieve the „Linz double“.
Donna Vekic
Donna Vekic naturally has something against that. The Croatian lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semi-finals two years ago and would now love to make it to the final.
But the hurdle is high - and Vekic has great respect for the local heroine: „I've seen some of her matches. She plays at a really good level and it will definitely be a tough match.“ In any case, Vekic has fond memories of her opponent today: Vekic has won the two previous matches between the two.
Almost in the shadow of the big Austrian tennis boom, tournament favourite Mirra Andreeva has played her way into the semi-finals. The number one of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2026 arrived in Linz last Friday with a beaming face, browsed through the exhibition on 35 years of tournament history and looked like she wasn't just 18 but already 28 on the court.
In the spring of 2025, she became the youngest ever winner of a 1000 tournament in Dubai and had already reached the semi-finals of the French Open a year earlier. Now you probably have to beat Andreeva in Linz to win this tournament.
Not on site, but with her in her thoughts is coach Conchita Martinez, who has accompanied Andreeva's rise to the top of the world. „I've learnt to believe whatever she says. So if she says that I've kept my composure, then it's certainly true. I just hope she's proud of me,“ said the world number ten after her quarter-final victory over Sorana Cirstea.
An unpleasant and confident opponent awaits today in the form of Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who pulled off an impressive comeback against Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals. It remains to be seen to what extent her thigh problems will affect her. Irrespective of this, Andreeva is the clear favourite to reach the final, not least because she recently defeated Ruse easily at the Australian Open.
But the underdog role already suited Ruse perfectly when she won the tournament in Hamburg in 2021. Let's see how it turns out this time.
Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Age: 18
Born in: Krasnoyarsk, Russia
World ranking position: 10
Greatest success: Winner Indian Wells (2025)
Age: 28
Born in: Bucharest, Romania
World ranking position: 87
Greatest success: Winner of the WTA 250 tournament in Hamburg (2021)
Tournament ambassador Barbara Schett is THE expert when it comes to the tennis players at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. „Babsi“ takes a look behind the scenes for us.
Mirra Andreeva vs. Elena-Gabriela Ruse:
„Andreeva is to be favoured. She's actually a fixture in the top 10. Even though she might not be playing her best tennis at the moment, I think she has more variety and more power. She showed some strong tennis in the quarter-finals. Even though she's still young, she has more experience in these situations.”
Age: 25
Born in: Saratov, Russia
World ranking position: 97
Greatest success: Winner Upper Austria Ladies Linz (2023)
Age: 29
Born in: Osijek, Croatia
World ranking position: 104
Greatest success: Wimbledon semi-final 2024 & Olympic silver 2024
Anastasia Potapova vs. Donna Vekic:
„I would say that Anastasia is the favourite. She will try to involve Donna in many long rallies and played really excellently in the quarter-finals, I would even say almost flawlessly.
The fact that she is playing in front of a home crowd will also help her. She really wants to show her best side. Donna already looked a little tired. She needs short points and has to play with a lot of variation. I'm not quite sure whether she can do that, so my money is on Anastasia Potapova.“
POTAPOVA VS TAGGER
Paula Badosa, who received a wild card and lost to local hero Lilli Tagger in the first round, clearly felt at home in Linz despite her short guest appearance. The Spaniard left again yesterday.
Great that you were there! Hope to see you next year.
Hardly anyone expected to see her in the last four in Linz. Elena-Gabriela Ruse from Romania is playing in the semi-finals of a 500 tournament for the first time today.
What is going particularly well for the 28-year-old here in Linz this week? The tournament director could be part of the secret to her success. „Sandra is my lucky charm. I always play well at her tournaments. I won my only tournament to date in Hamburg five years ago. That was also on clay back then. And then of course there are the schnitzels! I eat schnitzel here every evening,“ said the 28-year-old with a laugh.
So one thing is already certain: the likeable Ruse will definitely go into the semi-finals in good shape!
Bravo Lilli - you can be proud of yourself! See you in Linz in 2027!
Quality and refreshment at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz: With Frankenmarkter Mineralwasser, a regional beverage partner from Upper Austria is on board!
Frankenmarkter mineral water, from the gateway to the Salzkammergut, has been inspiring with its exceptional clarity and natural purity for over 100 years. Tradition and innovation: that's what it's all about!
Inclusion has been an integral part of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz for years: an exhibition match in wheelchair tennis will take centre stage on the final weekend of the anniversary edition of the women's tennis classic in Linz. With Christina Pesendorfer (Bad Ischl) and Vanessa Jenewein (Innsbruck), two of the best Austrian wheelchair tennis players serve and show off their skills.
Pesendorfer and Jenewein will each have a WTA player at their side this time and will compete against each other in the „mixed doubles“.
The match will take place today from 1.15 p.m. on Centre Court, before the second doubles semi-final of the WTA tournament begins afterwards.
This year's inclusion event is once again supported by Volkshilfe Oberösterreich.
Jesika Maleckova and Miriam Skoch have reached the doubles final of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. The two Czech players beat Yang Zhaoxuan and Liang En-Shuo 5:7, 7:5 and 10:4 in a real thriller.
They are now in their third final in 2026, so hats off to them!
Nothing goes better with the Upper Austria Ladies Linz than regional products from Upper Austria! Once again this year, several Upper Austrian exhibitors will be at the start in the Public Area: Leberkas Pepi will provide a juicy snack in between, while Schlägl is once again the official beer partner this year. Thanks to Konditorei Jindrak, Linzer Torte will be available for players throughout the tournament week.
Nobody really wanted to miss this historic quarter-final day with the Austrian duel! On Friday at the Design Centre, we were able to welcome Governor Thomas Stelzer and Markus Achleitner, Upper Austrian Councillor for Economic Affairs and Sport, who were among the most prominent political figures from Upper Austria. We would like to thank them for their visit!
The Linz women's tennis classic celebrated its premiere 35 years ago and today the Upper Austria Ladies Linz is the second oldest WTA indoor tournament in the world.
A walk through the exhibition arch in the Public Village offers a glimpse into the history of over three decades full of top-class matches, famous players and great moments. Not on site? No problem! The exhibition is also available online.
To mark the 35th anniversary of the women's tennis classic in Linz, a number of Austrian players who have played in the traditional tournament over the past decades will meet on the semi-final Saturday.
With them are: Sybille Bammer, Sandra Dopfer, Melanie Klaffner, Karin Kschwendt, Barbara Paulus, Beate Reinstadler, tournament ambassador Barbara Schett and tournament director Sandra Reichel.
Sustainability is once again a top priority at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz this year! The WTA 500 tournament was therefore honoured as a Green Event for the fourth time. The honour was bestowed this year by Stefan Kaineder, Provincial Councillor for the Environment.
It is the "place to be" during the tournament week: the Design Centre Linz offers the perfect location for the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. And without the Design Centre team, many things would not be possible. Thank you for your support!
ANDREEVA VS CIRSTEA
Due to the Linz Marathon taking place at the same time, there will be limited access on the final Sunday. We have set up a shuttle service for you to make your journey to the event more relaxed. You can find all the information you need about travelling by shuttle (runs between the main railway station and the Design Center Linz) on our website.
Cool sustainability initiative! Once again this year, Oberösterreichische Versicherung will cover the cost of 1 m² of seed for every ace that is beaten.
Presented by
1.15 pm: Wheelchair tennis exhibition with Christina Pesendorfer, Vanessa Jenewein and the WTA players Miriam Skoch and Jesika Maleckova (1x match tiebreak up to 10)
Honour: Former Austrian players from 35 years of Upper Austria Ladies Linz are honoured on centre court before the first singles semi-final
12 to 16.00 hrs: Childcare ASKÖ Upper Austria
Stand of OÖ Versicherung: Competition 3×200 EURO spa voucher
1.00 pm: Beer tasting at the Schlägl Lounge
Sportland Upper Austria: „How fit are you?“: Active station to join in
Frankenmarkt stand area: Wheel of fortune
Upper Austrian Chamber of Labour: Football table football, wheel of fortune
DAILY ACTIONS:
Software Park Hagenberg: Try out VR tennis
Mercedes-Benz: Tennis ball gripper arm with signed tennis balls from Austrian players
Stay on the ball with Upper Austria Ladies Linz! The broadcast times at a glance:
Friday, 10.04.2026
Saturday, 11.04.2026
Sunday, 12.04.2026
*Programme subject to change
Would you like to find out more about the Upper Austria Ladies Linz and expand your knowledge of the tournament's top stars? Then pick up a free copy at the Info Point! Click on the button to access the online version of our programme.
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