Jule Niemeier’s upswing in form was put to the test at the start of the WTA tournament in Stuttgart.
The Dortmund native, who gained self-confidence in the Billie Jean King Cup, meets Wimbledon champion Jelena Rybakina from Kazakhstan in the first round of the high-class clay court tournament. That was the result of the draw on Sunday.
Niemeier (23) is in the main draw thanks to a wildcard, as is her BJK teammate Tatjana Maria (Bad Saulgau), who meets a qualifier.
Together with the German team, they beat Brazil 3-1 in Stuttgart on Friday and Saturday and thus reached the final tournament of the twelve best nations. Niemeier defeated the favorite Beatriz Haddad Maia, number 14 in the world rankings.
Tamara Korpatsch (Hamburg) is one of the qualifiers in Stuttgart. Top seed is defending champion Iga Swiatek (Poland). The world number one has a bye in the first round. Nine of the top ten players in the tennis world are at the start. The last German winner in Stuttgart was Laura Siegemund in 2017.