Hammer matches for Austrians at the start

It's going to be a great anniversary tournament! The official draw at the Linz Grottenbahn presented by LINZ AG on Easter Sunday marked the start of the 35th edition of the Linz women's tennis classic. Austrian tennis fans in particular are looking forward to the event with great anticipation. For the first time since 2008, four local heroes are represented in the main draw.

Newcomer Lilli Tagger takes centre stage. The 18-year-old is celebrating her debut in the city on the Danube and, like Sinja Kraus, Anastasia Potapova and the German Tatjana Maria, was also in the draw. Tagger will face former world number two Paula Badosa from Spain, who like Tagger is celebrating her Linz debut thanks to a wildcard, in the opening match on Tuesday at 4 p.m. (live on ORF1). „The last time I was at the tournament in 2021 and was honoured as Young Player of the Year, I never thought I'd be coming here to play myself. That's why this is very special for me. It's my first time playing in an indoor tournament on clay, it's interesting, but definitely very cool,” says a delighted Lilli Tagger.

Austria's number one Julia Grabher has also been drawn for a very exciting task and will face Alexandra Eala from the Philippines, who is regarded as one of the most exciting young players.

Anastasia Potapova, the 2023 Linz winner, will face Shang Zhuai from China, while Sinja Kraus, who is in the main draw thanks to a wild card, will play Sorana Cirstea. The Romanian is ending her career after this season and is therefore making her farewell appearance in Linz. „It's great that I can be here again. The court felt really good in training, I'm excited to see if I can do it in the match,“ says Sinja Kraus looking ahead. 

Tatjana Maria is looking forward to her Linz comeback after eight years and will face Sloane Stephens from the USA. The top seeds Mirra Andreeva, defending champion Ekaterina Alexandrova, Liudmila Samsonova and Jelena Ostapenko have a bye in the first round. 

The draw ceremony took place at one of the most famous and popular excursion destinations in Linz and Upper Austria. The Grottenbahn on the Pöstlingberg, with its dragon train and dwarf kingdom as well as the unique fairytale world, provided a fantastic backdrop for the world elite in women's tennis. This year, the Grottenbahn celebrates its 120th anniversary. „The Grottenbahn is a very special place with a long history. This fits in very well with the Upper Austria Ladies Linz,“ explained Dr Jutta Rinner, CEO of LINZ AG. LINZ AG has been a reliable supporter of the tournament for over 20 years. 

The first main draw matches will be played on Easter Monday at the Design Centre. The duo Lilli Tagger/ Anastasia Potapova will already be in action on Monday in the doubles competition (not before 2 p.m.). They will face Ulrikke Eikeri (Norway)/ Quinn Gleason (USA). 

Ticket informationon: Only remaining tickets for Tuesday 

Tickets for the 35th Upper Austria Ladies Linz, which will be held on sand for the first time at the Linz Design Center from 5 to 12 April 2026, are available at the Online ticket shop available!

Tickets for the „Day of Austrian Women“ (Tuesday, 7 April) are in particularly high demand. Only a few tickets are still available for this day via the regular online shop. So if you want to be there, you have to be quick!