Let’s try again: second final between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in the Porsche Arena
2023 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Aryna Sabalenka
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- Aryna Sabalenka secures a ticket for her third final in succession at the long-standing Stuttgart tournament after beating Anastasia Potapova in only 58 minutes.
- Title-holder Iga Swiatek advances to the final after Ons Jabeur is forced to retire injured.
- Last year’s winners Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs will meet Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Giuliana Olmos in the doubles final.
- On Sunday, the Stuttgart Ballet will get the Centre Court audience in the mood for the final.
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix has its dream final – Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1, will meet Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 2. Starting at 1 o’clock on Sunday, they will play in the Porsche Arena for the main prize, a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo as the main prize.
Stuttgart.
A déjà-vu is awaiting the Porsche Arena crowd as Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka also faced each other on Centre Court last year. After claiming the win in 2022, the Pole then went on to become the season’s stand-out player and crowned her dream season by triumphing at the Grand Slams in Paris and New York. However, her opponent, who is making her third successive appearance in the final, has caught up. She secured her long deserved first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. First semifinal: Aryna Sabalenka – Anastasia Potapova 6-1, 6-2
Aryna Sabalenka was a big hurry in her match against Anastasia Potapova. The world No. 2 dominated her opponent right from the first rally and gave the rapidly improving player no chance with her accurate serving and hard groundstrokes. She duly converted her first match point after only 58 minutes. “I wasn’t consciously hitting the ball harder than normal, but I was really focussed today and I just played too good,” said the 24-year-old Australian Open champion. “I wanted to try my best today and I think I played really great tennis. I really want to get the Porsche. It’s a big motivation for me.”
Second semifinal: Iga Swiatek – Ons Jabeur 3-0 (Retirement Jabeur)
What a drama – the second semifinal in the Porsche Arena lasted only three games before Ons Jabeur was forced to retire with a calf injury. The spectators rose to their feet when bidding the Tunisian farewell. Her highly variable style and her likeable manner on and off the court had made her a crowd favourite. Title-holder Iga Swiatek, who as a consequence is back in the final, paid tribute to her opponent. “I’m so sorry for her. That she tried to continue despite being in pain shows what a great athlete she is, and what a strong personality.”
Successful pairing aiming to defend title
Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs are back in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix doubles final. The American/Dutch title-holders defeated Alexa Guarachi (Chile) and Erin Routliffe (New Zealand) in two straight sets 6-1, 7-5 in the first match of the day on Centre Court. They will now be up against Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) and Giuliana Olmos (Mexico) in the final.
On final’s Sunday, the Porsche Arena’s Centre Court will not only stage world class tennis. The afternoon’s proceedings will start at 12.20 pm when the “Aces for Charity” donations are handed over to the “Stiftung Agapedia”, “Landessportverband Baden-Württemberg” and the “Ferry-Porsche-Stiftung” organisations. The money will go to supporting Ukraine aid programmes. Afterwards the world famous Stuttgart Ballet’s performance will get the audience in the mood for the dream final between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.
World champions and Porsche Brand Ambassadors in the Porsche Arena
Amongst the spectators in the sold-out Porsche Arena on Saturday were the Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and Sami Khedira, a member of Germany’s 2014 World Cup winning team. He is also a Porsche Brand Ambassador like the race drivers Timo Bernhard and Jörg Bergmeister who also paid the long-standing Stuttgart tournament a visit to watch Saturday’s semifinals.
Further information as well as film and photo material and our Media Guide can be found in the Porsche Newsroom: newsroom.porsche.de.
The latest information about the worldwide Porsche involvement in tennis is available on the @PorscheTennis Twitter channel and the @porschetennis Instagram channel.
Markus Rothermel
Communications, Sustainability and Politics
Spokesperson Sports Communications
+49 (0) 170 / 911 0779
markus.rothermel@porsche.deText
English (Porsche AG)
T23_0278
2023/04/21
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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Day 8 - Let’s try again: second final between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in the Porsche Arena