Stuttgart, April 8 – China's Zheng Qinwen has withdrawn from next week's WTA 500 event in Stuttgart due to an injury, the tournament organizers announced on Wednesday. The main draw of the Stuttgart Open will be held from April 13 to 19 and will feature some of the world's top players.
Zheng's withdrawal from the Stuttgart Open means her debut on clay courts in the 2026 season will be delayed. Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, currently ranked world No. 46, will replace Zheng Qinwen in the main draw, according to 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 soon."
Zheng's most recent tournament appearance was 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 prize fund 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 feature 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 include two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini (No. 7), 19-time WTA winner Elina Svitolina (No. 8), and Mirra Andreeva (No. 10), one of the biggest risers of the 2025 season. 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 Zheng Qinwen will be continuing their comebacks in Stuttgart after injury. Other favorites include world No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova, alongside Linda Noskova. One week ago, the world No. 13 reached the semifinals of the renowned WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells.