The 35th edition of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz exceeded all expectations. At the anniversary tournament in the Linz Design Centre, tennis fans not only experienced world-class women's tennis, but also an event that represents a social highlight of the year in the Upper Austrian capital and has become even more diverse. „This tournament week was an outstanding advertisement for women's tennis throughout Austria. As a beacon, we from Linz and Upper Austria shine even brighter in our anniversary year. The tournament has set new standards in many respects. The Austrian quartet in the main draw and the winning runs of Anastasia Potapova and Lilli Tagger have sparked a new tennis euphoria throughout the country,“ said a delighted Sandra Reichel, Tournament Director.
Almost 24,000 fans visited the Design Centre over the course of the tournament week. The final weekend from Friday to Saturday was just as sold out as Tuesday, the „Day of the Austrians“, and Thursday. The media coverage was also increased once again. The tournament was broadcast in more than 150 countries. Social media views on the tournament channels increased more than fivefold to over ten million. The number of followers on the tournament channels increased by more than a third.
In sporting terms, the Linz women's tennis classic comes to an end on Sunday with the final between Anastasia Potapova and Mirra Andreeva and was more successful than it has been for a long time, especially from an Austrian perspective. Anastasia Potapova is the first Austrian woman to reach the final in the history of the tournament. With Potapova, Julia Grabher, Sinja Kraus and Lilli Tagger, a total of four Austrians were represented in the Linz main draw for the first time since 2008. The East Tyrolean Tagger's quarter-final appearance, which also saw her break into the top 100, triggered a real hype around the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. „I've never experienced an atmosphere like this year at the Design Centre. I really had goosebumps and it was fantastic to see how much our Austrian players, Anastasia, Lilli, Julia and Sinja, as well as the international stars like Mirra Andreeva, thrilled the tennis fans. In my opinion, the change of surface to clay has made tennis even more attractive for the fans. We will see even more high-class and intense matches. The tournament is a perfect start to the clay court season for the players,“ says Reichel. Of course, this has also been reflected in the spectator numbers.
Furthermore, in its 35th year, Austria's largest women's sporting event has finally taken on an outstanding social significance. „We have programmes for kindergarten children, schoolchildren, young tennis talents, apprentices, women and inclusion is also a matter close to our hearts. Everyone should feel at home with us,“ explains the tournament director, referring to the „Sport and fun with the stars“ initiatives, the school campaigns with LINZ AG, the wheelchair tennis exhibition and the „1000 rackets for 1000 girls“ junior campaign, which have shown that Upper Austria Ladies Linz has impressively put the motto „Tennis for all“ into practice. The highlights of the tournament week also included the fourth edition of Advantage Ladies, the FE&MALE Sports Conference, under the motto „United for Change“, where tennis coach Judy Murray and Olympic skeleton champion Janine Flock were the star guests.
Reichel makes a clear appeal to business and politics. „It is a task for all of us to promote women's sport and social cohesion with our tournament. We have a responsibility that we want to fulfil in the future. However, we can't do this alone, but only if companies, politicians, business and tennis fans pull together. We are the biggest stage for women's sport in Austria, and we want to keep it that way,“ explains the tournament director.
The WTA calendar for 2027 will be published this summer. For this reason, the 36th edition of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz has not yet been precisely scheduled.
