Today's object of desire is 60 centimetres tall, weighs 3.5 kilograms and is encrusted with 8,100 gold-coloured Swarovski crystals. Jelena Ostapenko and Ekaterina Alexandrova, the tournament's number one and number two, will battle it out in the grand final for the brand new Upper Austria Ladies Linz winner's trophy.
It's the ultimate showdown! After Jelena Ostapenko and Ekaterina Alexandrova each had to watch on once before after a final of the Upper Austria Ladies when the winners' trophy was awarded, today one of them will add her name to the list of winners of Austria's biggest women's sporting event. Ostapenko lost to the then 15-year-old Coco Gauff in 2019, while Ekaterina Alexandrova lost to Camila Giorgi a year earlier. Today, both have a second chance.
Ekaterina Alexandrova
"A win would mean so much to me. After all, I played my first final on the tour here. To win the title here now would be incredible," said Ekaterina Alexandrova after reaching the final at her "home tournament". The Russian, who lives in Prague, has felt at home in Linz for years and defied all the odds in a spectacular semi-final against Donna Vekic. In a dramatic and high-class encounter, the 29-year-old prevailed after three hours and six minutes and even overcame a 1:5 deficit in the all-important tie-break. It was a small sporting resurrection. "I'm very happy and pleased that the match is finally over. It was so long and so tough. When I was 1:5 down in the tie-break in the third set, I stopped thinking about the final. Donna played so well and I don't know how that was possible. We both played so well. It was a great match," summarised Alexandrova after a match that had the 2500 fans on the edge of their seats at times.
However, it was only the semi-final! The final act awaits today and Alexandrova had to regenerate quickly after her match point yesterday. She did this - presumably as usual - with a delicious schnitzel in the players' hotel. After all, good habits need to be cultivated, especially before a final.
Yelena Ostapenko
When Alexandrova takes to the court against Ostapenko today, it will be the second clash between the two this year. The Latvian won the semi-final in Adelaide in two sets (6:2, 7:6) and went on to claim her first title in 2024. "It will be a very difficult match because Ekaterina is a great player who is also in very good form at the moment. But I'm trying to focus on my own performance. I have the impression that I've improved from match to match. I hope that will continue in the final," said Ostapenko. But wait a minute, even better than in the semi-final? That's not really possible. The 2017 Roland Garros winner put in a near-perfect performance against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, serving superbly, scoring a total of 34 direct points and beaming all over her face after converting her match point. The Australian Open doubles finalist is undoubtedly one of the best players in this still young tennis year. Her success in the semi-finals was her twelfth win in a singles match on the tour. "I served very well today. I was expecting a very tough match and knew that I had to play aggressively, and that's exactly what I did," Ostapenko summed up and, with this performance behind her, will undoubtedly be the favourite in the final.
But Alexandrova knows exactly what to expect today. After all, this is the tenth time the two rivals have dueled on the tour. So there are no secrets from each other. However, they both have the same goal: the first entry in the list of winners of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz and the new winner's trophy, which would probably add a little more glamour to any living room.
We wish you a memorable finale!
Age: 26
Born in: Riga, Latvia
World ranking position: 12
Greatest success: Roland Garros winner (2017)
Age: 29
Born in: Chelyabinsk, Russia
World ranking position: 21
Greatest success: Round of 16 Wimbledon (2023)
"My tip is that Ostapenko will win. Alexandrova played such a long match against Donna Vekic yesterday, I'm really curious to see how fit she'll be afterwards. Ostapenko simply has more power and wants to finish the points quickly. Ostapenko also really wants to win the trophy because she loves the sparkling Swarovski trophy."
Alexandrova
vs.
Vekic
ADMIRAL, a strong partner of Upper Austria Ladies Linz since last year, hosted a talk on the visibility and strengthening of women's sport on Saturday.
The speakers were Jürgen Irsigler (Managing Director of ADMIRAL Sportwetten), Isabel Hochstöger (Team Manager of the ÖFB Women's National Team), Sandra Reichel (Tournament Director) and former national handball player Isabel Mittmansgruber. Aspects relating to the understanding of women's sport were discussed in a panel discussion, with one of the main topics being access to sport for young girls.
Above all, it was an event that generated shared interest and should be organised so much more often. Thanks to ADMIRAL for the great support!
60 cm high, weighing 3.5 kg and adorned with 8,100 gold-coloured, hand-set Swarovski crystals. Swarovski created an iconic winner's trophy especially for the most important women's tennis tournament in Austria.
"The trophy would look great in my home. I like anything that glitters and I hope I can win it tomorrow," said Jelena Ostapenko after her semi-final victory. Well, if that's not extra motivation!
It was a successful revenge! In the "Wheelchair Nations Cup", which was played between the best wheelchair tennis players from Austria and Germany, Germany came out on top in the end with a score of 2:1
Austria (with Christina Pesendorfer and Nico Langmann) won the mixed doubles against the duo Britta Wend and Anthony Dittmar from Germany. Dittmar and Wend dominated the two singles matches. The players previously competed against each other at the Hamburg European Open in July 2023. Back then, Team Austria claimed victory in exciting matches. Congratulations on the win!
The inclusion event is once again being supported this year by Volkshilfe Oberösterreich.
The Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2024 officially comes to an end this afternoon with the doubles final. Following the singles final between Jelena Ostapenko and Ekaterina Alexandrova, Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) / Ellen Perez (Australia) will face Italy's Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in the doubles. Melichar-Martinez and Perez won yesterday against the Italian duo Cocciaretto/Trevisan. Don't miss out on this one!
This trip will certainly be remembered for a long time! Thanks to the tournament's official automobile partner, two lucky winners had the opportunity to get to know the Upper Austria Ladies Linz from a different angle. In addition to VIP day tickets, they were able to enjoy a backstage tour with Barbara Schett and an overnight stay in the players' hotel.
An absolute legend of the WTA Tour arrived in Linz yesterday! Ana Ivanovic has won the title twice in the heart of Upper Austria, in 2008 and 2010, and reached the final here again in 2013 (against Angelique Kerber).
Yesterday and today, the Serbian is back at the WTA tournament after a break of several years. The star also revealed her favourite memory: "When I was in the final in 2008, a man painted us during the match. I still have the picture at home! That was a very cool and special memory."
Ostapenko
vs.
Pavlyuchenkova
Almost everyone in Austria knows him! Philipp Jelinek, triathlete and TV presenter of the ORF programme "Fit mit Phillipp", trained yesterday with the audience of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz at centre court. So not only the players were properly warmed up! Philipp Jelinek was also out and about in the Public Village during the course of the day, strengthening the fitness of the audience.
Sport and health are inextricably linked. The cooperation between Pink Ribbon and the Upper Austria Ladies Linz is intended to raise awareness of this and also be a call for solidarity with female patients.
The Hanover-based company Klingenberg is a furniture partner at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. Klingenberg, one of Germany's most exclusive rental furniture specialists, provides a very special charm with its high-quality design classics in the VIP club, the boxes and the players' catering area.
Cubit also provides a very special feel-good factor with its modular furniture. This is the perfect equipment for the Upper Austria Ladies Linz!
"For a good gut feeling every day" - that's what our partner Omni Biotic stands for. Our tournament ambassador Barbara Schett also knows that the health of the individual begins in the gut. After all, it contains the body's own highly developed defence system! And it is important to strengthen and protect it with Omni Biotic.
Cool sustainability initiative! For every ace beaten, Oberösterreichische Versicherung covers the cost of a honeycomb for a young beekeeper.
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Sunday, 4 February 2024
From 2.00 pm (ORF Sport Plus)
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Would you like to find out more about the Upper Austria Ladies Linz and expand your knowledge of the tournament's top stars and young hopefuls? 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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Maximilianstrasse 30
4600 Wels
Austria
Contact
Impress
Privacy policy