LINZ, February 3, 2024 (Press Release)
Saturday’s eagerly awaited semi-finals at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz will see Croatia’s Donna Vekic taking on Ekaterina Alexandrova and top seed Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia going head-to-head with 2015 champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Vekic, a seven-time regular in Linz, defeated Frenchwoman Clara Burel 6-0, 7-6(3) on Friday to reach her first semi-final in Upper Austria. “I’m in the semis, anything can happen now. And I’ve already got my eye on the Swarovski trophy. It’d fit nicely in my apartment,” said a smiling Donna Vekic who lives in Monte Carlo. Her next opponent Alexandrova, who moved to Czechia at the age of 13, defeated defending champion Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 7-6 (10-8). The 2018 finalist and No. 2 seed not only likes Linz’s proximity to her home in Prague, she is also particularly fond of the cuisine at the Courtyard by Marriot tournament hotel. “Linz is like home for me. And the schnitzel at the hotel is always wonderful. I eat it here every evening,” said the world No. 21. A flat-hitter, she traditionally plays well on the Rebound Ace surface under the roof in Linz. The Upper Austria Ladies Linz No. 1 seed Jelena Ostapenko wore again her “successful outfit” for the match against the British qualifier Jodie Burrage. The pastel green and white striped top combined with a purple skirt was jointly designed by the world No. 12 and the fashion label. Tournament favourite Ostapenko was in excellent form when winning 6-1, 6-2. The Australian Open women’s doubles runner-up has largely overcome her fatigue. “I didn’t feel too comfortable on court in my tight opening match on Thursday. I was very tired and had to dig deep. I haven’t had many days off this year, but it was much better today. The arena was full and I like it when I can play in front of a capacity crowd.” She will hopefully be able to do it again tomorrow in the penultimate round. The 2019 Linz runner-up – she lost to Coco Gauff in three sets – is an avid collector of Swarovski figurines and would love to lift the trophy, which is adorned with 8,100 crystals. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is still in the running to follow up her 2015 win at the time-honoured tournament in Linz. In the round of the last eight, the former world No. 11 beat the Belgian fourth seed Elise Mertens surprisingly easily in two straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. Mertens felt the effects of travelling from Down Under where on Sunday, the 2020 Linz finalist won the Australian Open women’s doubles title (alongside Hsieh Su-wei) to make her the new doubles No. 1. Pavlyuchenkova, nicknamed “Pavs”, was delighted with both her performance and the impressive atmosphere at the Design Centre in Linz. “It would be a dream to reach the final again, but I’m taking one match at a time,” said the 2021 French Open runner-up.
Bring on the final weekend! 🔥#WTALinz pic.twitter.com/EnpvDPaJDc
— #WTALinz (@WTALinz) February 3, 2024
Quarterfinals day is all about premium partner LINZ AG In addition to the top sporting performances on the courts, there was also plenty going on in the Public Village on LINZ AG Day, with LINZ AG CEO Dr Jutta Rinner as the guest of honour. She tossed the coin before the day’s last match between Pavlyuchenkova and Mertens. The Linz AG mascots “Sebastian” and “Dwarf” were also to be seen everywhere. The dragon “Sebastian” even got a selfie with Donna Vekic. New grandstand partner Bender provides comfortable seating Thanks to the long-established German company Bender, our grandstands were built in record time this year. The seats are wider and have padded covers. Almost 71 years ago, company founder Karl Bender built his first grandstand for a motorbike race in his hometown. Spectators around the world now sit on Bender grandstands at football matches, concerts and even Formula 1 events.
