Grand Slam champions Coco Gauff and Jelena Ostapenko emerged victorious in their Thursday night matches in Stuttgart, finalizing the quarterfinal lineup at the WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
All eight quarterfinal participants are within the Top 30 rankings, with five of them in the top six of the PIF WTA Rankings. Play will be paused on Friday for Good Friday, resuming on Saturday.
Here`s a recap of Thursday evening`s action at the Porsche-Arena:
[4] Coco Gauff defeated [LL] Ella Seidel 6-1, 6-1
World No. 4 Gauff required only 57 minutes to defeat lucky loser Seidel, who was the last German player in the singles competition. This win puts Gauff back into the Stuttgart quarterfinals, matching her best result from last year.
The American player was dominant on her serve, winning 87% of her first-serve points and successfully defending against all three break points she faced. This victory marks Gauff`s first quarterfinal appearance since the Australian Open in January, boosting her season.
`I transitioned to clay immediately after Miami,` Gauff mentioned post-match. `I decided to arrive slightly earlier this year to give myself more time to adjust to the clay and the indoor conditions here. … Overall, I believe it was a beneficial decision.`
The 2023 US Open champion, Gauff, is now set to compete against No. 5 seed Jasmine Paolini in a highly anticipated quarterfinal match on Saturday. Gauff holds a 2-0 advantage in their head-to-head record against Paolini, though their last encounter was 20 months ago.
`She is an incredibly agile player with a very strong forehand,` Gauff commented about Paolini. `While we haven`t played each other recently in tournaments, we do practice together, as she mentioned.`
`Everyone is aware of Jasmine`s capabilities and her fighting spirit. She never gives up. I`ve never witnessed her give up on the court.`
Jelena Ostapenko defeated [7] Emma Navarro 7-5, 3-6, 6-2
Ostapenko secured her first Stuttgart quarterfinal spot since 2018 by overcoming World No. 11 Navarro in a match lasting 2 hours and 18 minutes. This is only her second quarterfinal of the year, but she maintains a strong 3-1 record against Top 20 players in 2025.
In a fluctuating first set characterized by powerful return games, Ostapenko initially failed to serve out the set at 5-4 but capitalized on a second opportunity at 6-5. Her aggressive style of play then took over, allowing her to secure a love hold and clinch the first set.
Navarro responded in the second set, hitting a strong backhand crosscourt winner to break serve for a 4-2 lead and subsequently level the match. Despite converting only 1 of 6 break points in this set, it proved sufficient as she remained unbroken on her own serve.
However, Ostapenko regained control in the third set, effectively utilizing her powerful groundstrokes when it mattered most. From a 2-2 score in the deciding set, the 2017 Roland Garros champion claimed 16 of the subsequent 20 points to win the match.
Ostapenko demonstrated better efficiency in seizing opportunities on Thursday. The Latvian player had only nine break points throughout the match but converted six of them. In contrast, Navarro`s break point conversion rate was 4 out of 18.
The stage is now set for Ostapenko to face No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. Notably, Ostapenko has a perfect record against Swiatek, winning all five of their previous encounters, including one earlier this year in Doha.
More updates to follow…
Rupert Caldwell