Aryna Sabalenka is through to the quarter-finals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart—without hitting a single ball. The World No. 1 had already received a bye into the second round due to her top seeding, and was scheduled to face Russia’s Anastasia Potapova. But Potapova withdrew after a tough first-round win, handing Sabalenka a walkover into the last eight.
Clearly feeling a bit uneasy about the situation, Sabalenka revealed she reached out to her former opponent. “Yeah, that’s a bit awkward,” she admitted. “I messaged her like, ‘What are you doing to me? My next match is on Saturday!’”
Sabalenka also made sure to check in on Potapova’s wellbeing, saying, “I was worried if everything is okay with her… I figured out the situation.”
With no matches scheduled for Good Friday in Stuttgart, Sabalenka won’t take to the court until Saturday. In the meantime, she’s using the unexpected downtime to hit the gym and adjust her practice schedule.
A three-time finalist in Stuttgart, Sabalenka is eyeing her first title at the WTA 500 event—and the winner’s prize: a brand-new Porsche.
Reflecting on her past losses in Stuttgart, all against World No. 1s, she said, “I lost three finals against World No. 1s. So I thought, okay, I have to come back here as World No. 1. Maybe that’s the trick.”
When she finally takes the court this weekend, Sabalenka will face Elise Mertens—her former doubles partner and longtime friend. Sabalenka holds an 8–2 record in their head-to-head meetings.
