It all kicks off in 100 days: Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2025 is in the starting blocks

Councillor for Economic Affairs and Sport Markus Achleitner: 
"Sporting highlights put Upper Austria in the international spotlight"
"We are currently experiencing the European Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe next one is already on the horizon. The next one is already on the horizon: tomorrow is exactly 100 days until the first Upper Austria Ladies Linz. For the 2nd time, Austria's most important women's sporting event will be held as a WTA 500 tournament. When you consider that the WTA tournaments are broadcast in more than 150 countries around the world and their social media channels have around six million followers, you realise that the appeal is enormous. In addition to top-class tennis, women's sport in general is also in the spotlight at the Women's Sports Symposium. By organising the event as a green event, including wheelchair athletes and the "1,000 tennis rackets for 1,000 girls" campaign with the aim of teaching children the joy of tennis and exercise, it is clear that the organisers are taking on social responsibility and can be considered pioneers in many areas," explains Markus Achleitner, Provincial Councillor for Economic Affairs and Sport.

Tournament Director Sandra Reichel presents impressive figures for the first edition of the tournament as a WTA 500 event last winter. "The upgrade to the WTA-500 category has taken the tournament to a new level. With 1.1 billion TV households reached in 151 countries worldwide with more than 4,500 online press articles with 3.3 million social video views and with 111 million social media impressions! This means that the tournament has reached a new dimension and is one of the TOP 5 sporting events in Austria," says Reichel, adding: "A look at the WTA world map makes it clear once again just how big the tournament is. Linz, and indeed the whole of Upper Austria, is on a par with metropolises such as Tokyo, Washington, Seoul and Berlin."

Tournament ambassador Barbara Schett-Eagle experiences WTA boom at close quarters 
As a presenter, commentator and former world-class player, Barbara Schett-Eagle, tournament ambassador of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, not only accompanies the tour during the tournament week on the Danube, but also experiences the boom of the world's biggest women's sport up close 52 weeks a year. "The development of the WTA women's tour is impressive. This can be seen not only in the TV figures and the number of spectators at the tournaments. I also see it in the general attention that surrounds the players. The fact that very extroverted players like Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka are at the top of their game and that Iga Swiatek is also opening up more and this generation has finally asserted itself is also having a very positive effect. From the point of view of Upper Austria Ladies Linz, it is very pleasing that many players have already made it to the top in Linz," says Schett-Eagle. For example, Jasmine Paolini, who won the doubles competition with her partner Sara Errani in Linz at the beginning of the year, was one of the discoveries of the 2024 tennis year. The Italian reached the singles finals of the French Open and Wimbledon and won the gold medal in doubles with Errani at the Olympic Games in Paris. Donna Vekic from Croatia reached the semi-finals at the last edition of the tournament in Linz and won the silver medal in the singles at the Olympics. She was also among the top four at Wimbledon and only lost to Paolini. 

One week of world-class tennis - Twelve months of activity
The tournament week from 26 January to 2 February 2025 will once again be the centrepiece of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz next year. For the first time, however, activities will also be organised outside of the WTA tournament period. The aim is to develop Upper Austria Ladies Linz into a platform that is active throughout the year with events and activities. This includes, for example, the junior campaign "1,000 tennis rackets for 1,000 girls", the kindergarten campaign "Fun and games with the stars", but also events relating to the other pillars of the strategy, e.g. in the areas of women's promotion, sustainability and inclusion. In order to further strengthen women's sport, the FE&MALE Sports Conference "Advantage Ladies" will take place for the third time as part of the tournament on Wednesday, 29 January 2025, which is organised jointly with Sport Austria and the ÖTV and has since become a fixture and catalyst for women's sport.