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Zheng Qinwen Withdraws from Stuttgart Open; Top 4 Stars Headline Clay Event

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen has withdrawn from next week's WTA Stuttgart Open due to injury, delaying her 2026 clay-court debut. She will be replaced in the main draw by Philippines' Alexandra Eala. The tournament, a key warm-up for the French Open, will feature the world's top four players: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff. A deep field of other top-10 players and Grand Slam champions like Jelena Ostapenko and Barbora Krejcikova will also compete.

Key Points: Zheng Qinwen Injured, Withdraws from WTA Stuttgart Open

  • Zheng Qinwen withdraws due to injury
  • Alexandra Eala replaces her in main draw
  • World's top four players are all competing
  • Event is key clay-court prep for French Open
  • Strong field includes multiple Grand Slam champions
2 min read

Tennis: Zheng Qinwen withdraws from WTA Stuttgart Open due to injury; Top four in fray

China's Zheng Qinwen pulls out of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix due to injury. World's top four—Sabalenka, Swiatek, Rybakina, Gauff—headline the strong field.

"We wish Qinwen a speedy recovery and hope to see her back on the court in Stuttgart very soon. - Stuttgart Open"

Stuttgart, April 8

China's Zheng Qinwen has withdrawn from next week's WTA 500 event in Stuttgart due to injury, the tournament organisers announced on Wednesday. The main draw of the Stuttgart Open will be held from April 13 to 19 and will involve some of the world's top players.

Zheng's withdrawal from the Stuttgart Open means her clay-court debut of the 2026 season will be delayed. Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, currently ranked world No. 46, will replace Zheng Qinwen in the main draw, reports Xinhua.

In a statement, the Stuttgart Open said: "We wish Qinwen a speedy recovery and hope to see her back on the court in Stuttgart very soon."

Zheng's most recent tournament appearance came at the WTA 1000 Miami Open in March, where she lost 6-3, 6-4 to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the fourth round and missed out on a place in the quarterfinals.

Known as the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the Stuttgart Open was held on indoor hard courts from 1978 to 2008. Held a few weeks before the French Open at Roland Garros, the Stuttgart Open has been contested on indoor clay courts since 2009. The state-of-the-art Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, has hosted this tournament since 2006.

The event has a total commitment of $1,206,446, and the singles main draw will include 28 direct entries, while the doubles draw will have 16 teams competing.

This year's event will have the world's top four-ranked players - Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff.

Other Top 10 players set to return to Stuttgart are the two-time Grand Slam runner-up Jasmine Paolini (No. 7), the 19-time WTA winner Elina Svitolina (No. 8) plus Mirra Andreeva (No. 10), one of the 2025 season's biggest risers. Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, will be back competing in the Porsche Arena as the title holder.

Barbora Krejcikova, the winner of the Grand Slams in Paris (2021) and at Wimbledon (2024), and Qinwen Zheng will be continuing their comebacks in Stuttgart after injury. The circle of favourites also includes the world No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova, together with Linda Noskova. One week ago, the world No. 13 reached the semifinals of the renowned WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
The Stuttgart Open always has such a strong lineup. Sad to miss Zheng, but with Sabalenka, Swiatek, Rybakina, and Gauff all there, it's going to be a fantastic warm-up for the French Open. Hope the Indian players get to compete at this level soon.
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Aman W
A bit disappointed with the article. It mentions the prize money and the arena details, but I wish there was more analysis on how Zheng's absence affects the draw dynamics or Eala's potential performance. Just feels like a repackaged press release.
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Sarah B
Interesting to see Mirra Andreeva in the mix! She's had a phenomenal rise. The depth in women's tennis right now is incredible. Stuttgart is such a prestigious event—winning there is a huge confidence booster before Roland Garros.
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Vikram M
Health comes first, always. Better to withdraw and recover fully than risk a longer-term injury. The tournament will be exciting regardless. Looking forward to seeing if Iga Swiatek can dominate on the clay like she usually does!
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Kavya N
So many comebacks from injury in this one event—Krejcikova, Svitolina, and now Zheng's is delayed. It shows how physically demanding the tour is. Respect to all the athletes. Hope they all play their best tennis.

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