Stuttgart Open Round-Up: Strong starts for Paolini and Navarro as Vekic suffers shock exit

The first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Stuttgart Open comes to an end, with the favourites showing their class and dominant wins from players like Jasmine Paolini and Emma Navarro. The tournament now prepares for the Round of 16 on Wednesday, featuring the debut of the top four seeds, including Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.

The biggest surprise of the day came with the elimination of 2024 Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic, who struggled with physical issues in her match against fellow Croatian Jana Fett. In addition, another injury occurred when Dayana Yastremska had to retire mid-match to close the day.

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Favourites move on

The day started with Emma Navarro (No. 7) facing an opponent low on confidence: Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, who suffered her seventh straight loss. She has only recorded two wins so far this season, back in January at the Australian Open, where she beat Julia Riera and Erika Andreeva. The American had no trouble against one of the players usually most comfortable on clay, taking the win 6-3, 6-0.

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Later on, it was the turn of Jasmine Paolini (No. 6), who also cruised to victory. It took her just 1 hour and 5 minutes to beat wildcard Eva Lys 6-2, 6-1. The Italian is quietly showing consistency, with 7 wins in her last 9 matches, following a semifinal run in Miami. The dominant win will be a confidence boost for Paolini, who will again face a local in the Round of 16. Her next opponent will be another German wildcard: Jule Niemeier, who came back from a set down to defeat fellow German Laura Siegemund 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

On Court 1, two Russians faced off: Liudmila Samsonova and Ekaterina Alexandrova, both of whom have maintained a top-25 ranking through consistency over the past year. This time it was Alexandrova who claimed the win 6-3, 6-3, extending her solid clay-court form after reaching the semifinals in Charleston, where she defeated opponents like Diana Shnaider and Zheng Qinwen.

Ekaterina Alexandrova at 2023 Miami Open.

Injury woes for Vekic and Yastremska

Later in the day came the biggest upset, as Croatian qualifier Jana Fett knocked out 2024 Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic. The World No. 20 suffered physical issues in the second set and was in tears during a medical timeout. It all ended with a win for Fett (No. 154), 7-6, 6-4, who will now face Iga Swiatek in what will be her first appearance in the second round of a WTA 500.

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The match that did end in a retirement was between former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko and Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska. The Latvian dominated on serve, winning 86% of points on her serve compared to just 52% for Yastremska. The Ukrainian experienced physical discomfort in the second set and was forced to retire with the score at 3-6, 0-3 after just over an hour on court.

Tuesday, April 15

- Emma Navarro def. Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 6-0

- Jasmine Paolini def. Eva Lys 6-2, 6-1

- Jule Niemeier def. Laura Siegemund 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

- Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-3

- Jana Fett def. Donna Vekic 7-6, 6-4

- Jelena Ostapenko def. Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 3-0 ret.

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