Even bigger and even more international - that's what the Upper Austria Ladies Linz is at its premiere as a WTA 500 tournament. This was also made abundantly clear at the draw, which took place in the logistics park of the LINZ AG harbour, a hub for international shipping. "The Upper Austria Ladies Linz brings absolute top players to Upper Austria, and we are proud to be on board and to be able to offer an exceptional venue for the draw once again," explained Dr Jutta Rinner, CEO of LINZ AG.
The star guests were Camila Giorgi, Linz winner in 2018, and defending champion Anastasia Potapova, who were spectacularly manoeuvred up into the air using forklift trucks to attach the players' name tags to pallets. "I thought it was artistic, it was beautiful and unusual - something completely different! I really enjoyed it," said Giorgi. As the tournament's top seeds, Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia), Ekaterina Alexandrova, Donna Vekic (Croatia) and Elise Mertens (Belgium) are already through to the round of 16 thanks to a bye. Local hero Sinja Kraus is the only Austrian in the main draw and will be up against Clara Burel from France, who has been strong of late.
Anastasia Potapova and Camila Giorgi
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
In the very first main draw match of the WTA 500 tournament, a former tournament winner will do the honours from 2 pm. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who was crowned tournament winner in Linz in 2015, has a tricky task to solve in the "opening match" with Martina Trevisan. The 30-year-old from Tuscany is one of five Italians in the main draw and has an extremely athletic game. Her compatriot Jasmine Paolini, who is seeded sixth in Linz, will then face the British number one Katie Boulter. She impressed at the United Cup in Australia with a completely surprising victory against world number three Jessica Pegula.
Age: 30
Born in: Florence, Italy
World ranking position: 57
Greatest success: First WTA title at the 250-man tournament in Rabat (2022)
Age: 32
Born in: Samara, Russia
World ranking position: 42
Greatest success: Roland Garros finalist (2021)
Draw
That was the first big highlight of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz! The draw, which was organised together with LINZ AG, ensured a very special start to the tournament. In keeping with the organisation of the tennis classic, which has been upgraded to a WTA 500 event, this year's ceremony took place in the deep-freeze and pharmaceutical hall in the logistics park at the LINZ AG port. The Italian Camila Giorgi and last year's winner Anastasia Potapova were also in attendance - and of course the mascot "Dragon Sebastian" was not to be missed.
"It was unique, I don't think anyone has ever done anything like it before. And I'm happy that I was able to take part in something like this."
Anastasia Potapova
The time had come on Sunday afternoon: Former world number one Angelique Kerber arrived in Linz! Tournament director Sandra Reichel welcomed the 36-year-old German, who is continuing her comeback tour after her maternity leave at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2024.
A tip for all tennis fans: Kerber will play her first match at the Design Centre on Tuesday, 30 January, against Lucia Bronzetti (Italy).
Local heroes Sinja Kraus and Melanie Klaffner, who are also competing together in the Upper Austria Ladies Linz doubles competition, were available to sign autographs for fans yesterday.
It was a great start! Yesterday's "Opening Day" offered a great programme for all tennis fans! The first 500 visitors also received special goodie bags with treats from our partners.
What a success! 23-year-old Arabella Koller has won the "Young Ladies Wild Card Challenge" at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. Born in Salzburg, she held her own against seven Austrian players (U26) and won a "free ticket" to qualify for the WTA 500 tournament in Linz. She was allowed to start the day on the centre court at the Design Center yesterday, but lost to Erika Andreeva 0:6, 0:6.
LIST OF WINNERS
2018: Mavie Austrian
2019: Emily Meyer
2020: Veronika Bokor
2021: Mavie Austrian
2023: Veronika Bokor
2024: Arabella Koller
Provincial Councillor for Economic Affairs and Sport Markus Achleitner, Tournament Director Sandra Reichel, Mayor Klaus Luger, Deputy Mayor Karin Hörzing
The variety of programmes at Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2024 is truly unique! Tournament Director Sandra Reichel, together with Markus Achleitner, Provincial Councillor for Economics and Sport, Klaus Luger, Mayor of Linz, and Karin Hörzing, Deputy Mayor of Linz, gave a comprehensive overview of the numerous activities during the tournament week. The programme at Austria's most important women's sporting event ranges from world-class tennis to many initiatives and activities away from the courts.
Combined feel-good factor for a top-class tournament! At Upper Austria Linz, the tournament area is equipped with high-quality and stylish furniture from Cubit. Are you looking for a basis for individualised living in your home? Get inspired with just one click and decide what the furniture of your choice should look like!
From "Down Under" to "Upper Austria": The sensational Australian Open semi-finalist plays in Linz thanks to a wildcard! Yesterday, Sunday, the Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska arrived in the Upper Austrian capital.
Four German players got off to a winning start in the Upper Austria Ladies Linz qualifiers yesterday. Anna-Lena Friedsam, Tamara Korpatsch, Jule Niemeier and Ella Seidel have the chance to secure a ticket for the main draw today. Seidel, who recently celebrated her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open against the eventual winner Aryna Sabalenka, caused the biggest surprise of the day yesterday. The 18-year-old unexpectedly defeated Magdalena Frech from Poland. With a cut-off of 130th in the world rankings, the qualifiers in Linz are probably the best ever.
Unfortunately, the two Austrian starters Arabella Koller and Tamara Kostic were eliminated. However, they gained important experience for their further development. We are already looking forward to seeing them again in 2025!
Note:
Change: Please note that admission starts at 10.30 am.
The match (qualification final round) starts at 11.00 am.
KIDS DAY - Free admission for children up to 15 years
SCHOOL CAMPAIGN PRESENTED BY LINZ AG:
Pupils should take a cool photo in the Design Centre. The three most creative pictures can win the following prizes:
3.00 pm: Student press conference
Stay on top of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz with ORF Sport Plus! The broadcast times at a glance:
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
From 3.55 pm (ORF Sport Plus)
Wednesday, 31 January 2024
From 3.55 pm (ORF Sport Plus)
Thursday, 1 February 2024
From 13.55 (ORF Sport Plus)
Friday, 2 February 2024
From 12.55 pm (ORF Sport Plus)
From 13.35 (ORF1)
Saturday, 3 February 2024
From 2.00 pm (ORF Sport Plus)
Sunday, 4 February 2024
From 2.00 pm (ORF Sport Plus)
The matches can also be streamed on the ORF TVthek. With just one click, you can be there live on centre court.
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