The opening round of the main draw at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2025 delivered a mix of thrilling battles, one-sided wins by favorites, and unfortunately, injury issues that affected several players, some of whom struggled to finish - or even start - their opening matches in Stuttgart.
Two of the most exciting matches happened on Wednesday, featuring players who were not originally included in the main draw. Sara Errani replaced Rebecca Sramkova, who withdrew due to an injury sustained during the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers over the weekend, and faced Magdalena Frech. The Pole was a clear favorite, looking to end a streak of five consecutive losses and earn her first victory in more than two months.
Frech stages comeback in a 3-hour thriller
The favorite started strong, winning the first set 7-5. Despite the close score, she was in control early on. However, the match was far from easy from that point forward. Errani played some really clean tennis in the second set - according to the official stats, she hit 17 winners compared to just 2 unforced errors. The Italian showcased vintage dropshots and executed a game plan that targeted Frech’s vulnerable backhand. This was enough for her to take the lead in the third set, even holding a break advantage at 4-2.
Frech mounted a comeback from that point and, although Errani served for the match at 6-5, the Pole forced a tiebreak and eventually sealed the win 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5) after 3 hours and 11 minutes of high-quality tennis. Unusually for such a long and up-and-down match, it was also an exceptionally well-played contest. Frech recorded 53 winners to 34 unforced errors, while Errani finished with 39 winners and 27 unforced errors. Although visual impressions sometimes suggest discrepancies between forced and unforced errors that official stats might not capture, it didn’t change the overall impression of a remarkable battle - one not particularly expected from this pairing.
Here are the thoughts shared by world No. 28 Magdalena Frech in her post-match press conference about the difficulty of the match and her praise for her experienced opponent:
"Of course, it was a lot of emotions - especially because I was on a five-match losing streak. Yeah, it was a really important match for me. I had 5-2 in the first set, everything under control, and then Sara started playing really well.
She mixed it up a lot, changed the rhythm, and it was really tough to play my game - especially when she was hitting topspin from the forehand side and slicing, hitting dropshots. She can actually play everything.
So yeah, it was really tough. Honestly, I don’t know how I won this match. Maybe it was one or two balls that went my way, and that’s it.
I didn’t show any emotions in the third set because I was really tired. I knew I had to stay calm, stay focused, and try to build the points. I wanted to hit more winners, but it’s really difficult, especially here on clay. It was also my first match, so it was a little tricky.
But yeah, I’m really happy I stayed calm and focused on every ball. I won it from 2-5 in the tiebreak.
Sara is 37 now, but age doesn’t matter. She’s still in great shape - playing great in doubles and even winning the Olympics on clay. She’s still in really good form and, of course, has a lot of experience."
Seidel and Niemeier triumph in all-German battles
The 20-year-old German Ella Seidel got a lucky loser spot after Danielle Collins withdrew from the tournament following the main draw reveal, reportedly due to illness. Seidel was slotted into a section featuring two all-German clashes, each pitting youth against experience.
Seidel, ranked world No. 124, faced 37-year-old Tatjana Maria in a match that proved to be a rollercoaster. Maria won the first set after multiple breaks and even had the opportunity to serve for the match in a marathon second set. Two of Seidel’s service games - featuring 8 and 9 deuces respectively - stood out as highlights. Maria broke in the second of those games, setting herself up to serve at 6-5, but Seidel denied her the straight-sets win by forcing a tiebreak and eventually a deciding set after a thrilling 1 hour and 28 minutes.
The third set remained competitive, with the score tied at 4-4 before Seidel once again came through in the clutch moments, winning the last two games to secure a 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory. She advanced to the round of 16 and earned a clash with 4th seed Coco Gauff - a worthy reward for making the most of her lucky loser opportunity.
The second all-German encounter happened on Tuesday, where Jule Niemeier defeated Laura Siegemund 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The 25-year-old came back from 2-4 down in the deciding set against her 12-years-older compatriot, eventually sealing the win after 3 hours and 13 minutes. It was a scrappy but emotionally charged match, and Niemeier’s celebratory reaction showed just how much the home-soil victory meant to her.
Premature end to the sisters' battle
Mirra Andreeva was originally slated to face Marta Kostyuk in what was expected to be one of the first round’s most exciting matches. However, the 2024 runner-up withdrew due to an elbow injury. That didn’t leave Andreeva without an interesting challenge, though - her sister Erika Andreeva replaced Kostyuk, setting up a sibling showdown.
As expected, the younger Mirra had the upper hand early, but the match ended prematurely when Erika withdrew due to a knee injury at the start of the second set. Mirra advanced with a 6-2, 1-0 (ret.) result.
Here’s what Mirra had to say about the emotional challenge of playing against her sister, as shared in the post-match press conference:
"Before the match, of course, we were both super nervous. The last time we played, she won, and I couldn’t really handle the nerves.
I felt like this time I managed it better, but of course the match wasn’t at a great level because she clearly didn’t feel her best. So it’s not the way we wanted to finish, but I’m sure she’s going to recover fast and we’ll see her back on court soon.
Yeah, it was a bit weird - because I don’t think anyone really understands what emotions I felt, or what she felt, during the match.
When she called for the physio… well, I already knew she was struggling with her knee because we’re sharing a room here. We know everything about each other.
So when she called the physio, I was worried - but I also told myself I had to stay focused. I couldn’t lose concentration. I was kind of fighting with myself - do I worry, or do I stay locked in and keep doing my thing?
It was tough, but yeah… I just hope we’ll play more matches against each other and keep learning from these experiences."
Erika wasn’t the only player unable to finish her match in this round. Dayana Yastremska also retired from her match against Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday, after a competitive first set and three games lost into the second.
Seeds move on
While the top 4 seeds received a first-round bye, the next 4 had to begin their campaigns earlier - and all of them progressed successfully.
In addition to Mirra Andreeva, Jasmine Paolini and Emma Navarro scored routine wins. Paolini defeated wildcard Eva Lys 6-2, 6-1, while Navarro crushed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 6-0. The Brazilian continues to struggle in 2025, suffering her 9th straight loss and 12th defeat in 14 matches this season.
Diana Shnaider had to work the hardest of the seeded players, enduring a tough three-setter against Veronika Kudermetova to win 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 on Monday.
