QUITO/STARNBERG, November 9, 2026
German Tatjana Maria and Poland’s Magda Linette are the highest-ranked players confirmed for the Copa Banco Guayaquil presented by Payjoy WTA 125 Quito. The tournament will be held from November 30 to December 6, 2026, on the clay courts of the Quito Tenis & Golf Club in Ecuador. The champion will earn 125 WTA ranking points.
The event is returning to Ecuador for the second consecutive year and is organised by former world No. 6 Nicolas Lapentti, who expressed his satisfaction with the quality and depth of the entry list.
“We have a very good group of players. There will be several experienced competitors with impressive careers, alongside young talents who are making progress on the professional tour. We will also see Ecuadorian players, whom we are giving the opportunity to compete in this important tournament on the WTA Tour,” Lapentti said.
Maria, currently ranked No. 66 in the world, has won four WTA Tour titles during her career, including the WTA 500 event in London last year. The German reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022 and is also a member of her country’s Billie Jean King Cup team. Among her notable career victories are wins over Karolina Muchova, Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova, Leylah Fernandez, Maria Sakkari and Jelena Ostapenko.
Linette is currently ranked No. 68 and reached a career-high position of No. 19 in 2023. The Pole has collected four WTA Tour titles, most recently winning in Chennai in 2026. Her previous triumphs came in Prague (2024), Hua Hin (2020) and at the Bronx Open (2019). She reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2023 and the quarter-finals of the Miami Open in 2025.
Throughout her career, Linette has recorded several notable victories, including a win over then-world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty at Roland Garros in 2021. She has also defeated top-five players such as Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Caroline Garcia, Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina and Jasmine Paolini, as well as former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka.
Another player attracting attention is Czech teenager Laura Samson. At just 18 years of age, she is already ranked No. 116 in the world and continues to make rapid progress on the professional circuit. As a junior, Samson reached the top of the world rankings in 2024 and finished runner-up at the French Open junior championships.
Argentina will be represented by four players with strong ambitions of making a deep run in Quito. Former world No. 36 Nadia Podoroska leads the group, alongside Julia Riera (No. 137), Jazmin Ortenzi (No. 180) and Luisina Giovannini (No. 191), who reached last year’s final.
Defending champion Polona Hercog of Slovenia has also confirmed her return. The former world No. 35 impressed with her performances on the Quito clay courts last year and will be looking to retain her title.
Other notable names on the entry list include Spain’s Guiomar Maristany Zuleta De Reales (No. 142), Armenia’s Elina Avanesyan (No. 149), Latvia’s Darja Semenistaja (No. 173), Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas (No. 183) and US-American Varvara Lepchenko (No. 199).
The main-draw entry list currently features 21 players. The remaining places in the 32-player singles draw will be filled by qualifiers and wild-card entrants, completing an international field for the second edition of the WTA 125 event in Ecuador.
