WTA: US Open winner Stephens against Putintseva at the opening match in Nuremberg

Top seeded Sloane Stephens will play Yulia Putintseva at the start of the WTA tournament in Nuremberg. Two friends, Mona Barthel and Carina Witthöft, meet and Julia Görges starts against Kristyna Pliskova.

Mona Barthel was the “lucky fairy” at the draw for the WTA tournament in Nuremberg on Saturday. Whether the official lottery drawing machine brought her luck remains to be seen. In round one, Mona Barthel and Carina Witthöft face off against each other in an explosive German duel. A meeting of two friends who have often played together in doubles. “Yes, we get along very well, we also know our strengths and weaknesses. But you and I are professional enough. I’m looking forward to the match,” Barthel said.

Their coach, former professional Christopher Kas, said: “This will be an exciting match, also for the spectators. That makes my job easy, I don’t have to watch videos. We know Carina better than anyone else in the field. “Tournament ambassador Barbara Rittner agreed, but she would have preferred the duel between Barthel and Witthöft “in the quarter-finals”.

While Barthel had already befriended her first-round opponent, Katharina Hobgarski had to tremble to the penultimate lotto ball – and she was visibly relieved that she did not have to play Julia Görges. But the Spaniard Lara Arruabarena is also a player who can grow beyond herself on good days. No walk will be the first round also for “Jule” Görges. The second seeded German meets Kristyna Pliskova. The twin sister of the former world number one Karolina Pliskova is left-handed and shows, as Barbara Rittner added, “no fear of big names”. Görges was a little weak after the tournament in Madrid, but should be fit again by her first appearance at her home tournament in Nuremberg.

Andrea Petkovic and Sorana Cirstea are two players who know each other inside out. The form of the day will probably decide.

The premiere of Sloane Stephens in Nuremberg will be highly explosive. The US Open winner, who received a wild card at the last moment from tournament director Sandra Reichel, meets the spirited Yulia Putintseva. “Sloane Stephens’ commitment was truly surprising. It distinguishes our tournament that top player like her come to Nuremberg. It’s the best field we’ve ever had, with three players in the top 15,” said Sandra Reichel.