The "first serve" has been made!

The Upper Austria Ladies Linz is not just a stage for the best female tennis players in the world.
It also serves as a springboard for up-and-coming tennis players, in this specific case for young female tennis players who are at the very beginning of their careers.

Around 50 girls (aged between six and ten) have now accepted the invitation of the WTA 500 tournament to a very special tennis training session at TC 76/Union Wels. Firstly, each girl received a tennis racket from Barbara Schett, Austria's best tennis player of all time and tournament ambassador for the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. Under the guidance of a professional team of trainers, the girls were then able to try out their new tennis rackets during a first taster session... and it was great fun, as seven-year-old Lilly from Leonding confirmed, who now wants to continue playing tennis in a club in the future.

It was precisely this fun that Barbara Schett initially focussed on: "At this age, the joy of playing tennis should really take centre stage. If it becomes more, you can still decide on further steps," the former world number seven gives the girls and their parents as advice. 

The "1,000 tennis rackets for 1,000 girls" initiative, which was launched as part of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, has now been continued for the first time in July with TC 76 Wels as the organiser. For tournament director Sandra Reichel, the goal is clear: "I want to give as many children as possible access to tennis. Owning a tennis racket is the first important hurdle to overcome. Tennis is a wonderful sport, especially for girls, which is an enrichment for life."

Anyone who has seen the enthusiasm of the participants at the summer camp can only confirm this. Thanks to the friendly support of partners, the girls were also able to take home a goodie bag filled to the brim with cool merchandise from Linz Airport, Linz AG, Dunlop and Oberösterreichische Versicherung. It goes without saying that all the new tennis players and their mums and dads will meet again at the next Upper Austria Ladies Linz, which will take place from 26 January to 2 February 2025 at the Linz Design Center.

Austria's most important women's sporting event has been categorised as a WTA 500 tournament since this year. With TV broadcasts in over 150 countries, the tournament is a beacon for the province of Upper Austria and the city of Linz with a global reach. 

The "Race to Linz 2025" has already begun:

The first qualifying opportunity for the Young Ladies Wildcard Challenge has already taken place with the Summer National Tennis Championships. With a new points system, Austrian players up to the age of 26 who have already gained their first international experience can secure a starting place for qualification for the WTA 500 tournament in Linz via the Wildcard Challenge. The summer and winter national champions have already qualified. This means that the newly crowned national champion Arabella Koller has already been confirmed as the first participant in January 2025. She has fond memories of this competition in Linz, as she has already won it this year.

The Young Ladies Wildcard Challenge is THE chance for Austria's tennis hopefuls to compete against the best players in the world at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. The winner of the Wildcard Challenge receives a starting place for qualifying for Austria's most important women's sporting event and can meet players from the world's top 100.

"With the new points system, we want to give even more players the opportunity to come into contact with the Upper Austria Ladies Linz and create even more excitement in the run-up to the event," said ÖTV Sports Coordinator Marion Maruska and Tournament Director Sandra Reichel, giving an insight into their thoughts. Both launched the Young Ladies Wildcard Challenge in 2018 and have since developed it into a fixture for up-and-coming women's tennis players in Austria. The Young Ladies Wildcard Challenge will be held one week before the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, which will take place next year from 26 January to 2 February 2025.