LINZ, October 13, 2021
A firework of professional tennis is what fans can look forward to at the 31st Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2021 from November 6-12 at the TipsArena. Reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu will be joined by eight Top 50 players during her debut in the WTA 250 tournament.
“It will be a tough fight for the title. And there will be a first-time winner,” said tournament director Sandra Reichel after she received the official entry list from the WTA.
Tournament ambassador Barbara Schett emphasizes: “Competition will be very strong and there are many different personalities headlined by the freshly-crowned US Open winner Emma Raducanu. Olympic medalist Viktorija Golubic from Switzerland, who won silver alongside her partner Belinda Bencic in Tokyo this year, will also be part of the line-up. This is fantastic. I’m just looking forward to the tournament.”
As reported, World No. 22 Raducanu has confirmed her appearance at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. Only a successful qualification for the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico (November 10-17), which overlaps with the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, could still prevent the 18-year-old from Great Britain from making her Linz debut. However, her chances of participating in Mexico have fallen sharply following her second-round loss in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Reichel named a few players who will also be among the top contenders to win the Linz title:
Danielle Collins, 27, of the United States, is currently in strong form and won at Palermo (WTA 250) and San Jose (WTA 500) this summer.
Veronika Kudermetova, 24, of Russia, emerged victorious at the WTA 500 tournament at Charleston in April 2021.
Ekaterina Alexandrova, 2018 Linz runner-up and semi-finalist last year. The 26-year-old Russian feels comfortable on the hard court inside the TipsArena.
Sorana Cirstea, a well-known face in Linz and already a fan favorite. The Romanian is enjoying a strong and consistent season after the tour’s suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 31-year-old captured her second career title in Istanbul and also reached the final in Strasbourg earlier this year.
Petra Martic, 30, of Croatia, who is coached by Michael Geserer. The German previously worked with Julia Görges for a long time.
Ajla Tomljanovic, 28, Croatian-born Australian, who is currently playing her best tennis. She reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and advanced to the Round of 16 at this week’s WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells against 2013 Linz champion Angelique Kerber of Germany.
Marta Kostyuk, 19, from Ukraine, who is one of the top talents on the WTA Tour.
Caroline Garcia, 27, of France, who reached a career-high ranking of World No. 4 in September 2018 and has won seven WTA crowns.
Dayana Yastremska, a 21-year-old rising star from the Ukraine; Donna Vekic, 25-year-old Croatian and already a familiar face at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz; reigning Hamburg European Open champion Elena-Gabriela Ruse from Romania, and Aliaksandra Sasnovich from Belarus are notable players of the alternate list.
Fans can look forward to a highly attractive mix of up-and-coming stars as well as experienced players, who not only want to enjoy the famous “familiar feel-good atmosphere” at the second-oldest women’s indoor tennis tournament in the world, but also want to leave the region of Upper Austria with the trophy and the prize money cheque for the winner.
Check out the entry list for the 2021 ☝️
Who is your favorite #wtalinz player for this year‘s edition?
Get your tickets here
➡️ https://t.co/UNJkTyGCA2 pic.twitter.com/77zEao9Xci— WTA Linz (@WTALinz) October 13, 2021
