Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Doubles 2023: Contenders, Odds, and Predictions for WTA Stuttgart
Held annually in the middle of April, the prestigious WTA Stuttgart also known as the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is about to start. As per usual all the top women in singles are here but Stuttgart is about much more than that and below we are having a detailed look at the doubles tournament that promises to be as exciting and hotly contested as the singles one. Let’s start our preview with the main contenders for this year’s event.
Stuttgart 2023 Doubles Main Contenders
1. Kichenok/Ostapenko
The Ukrainian//Latvian duo Kichenok/Ostapenko come into the competition as the number 1 seed. Ostapenko is an accomplished singles player and together with Kichenok, she has formed a formidable partnership that saw them reach 5 quarterfinals in doubles in just the last 6 months. The two have a tough draw though with more details about that further below.
2. Krawczyk/Schuurs
The 2022 WTA Stuttgart Doubles champions Krawczyk/Schuurs are back and determined to repeat their success from last year. They come into the tournament as the number 2 seed. The American/Dutch duo had been partnered together for many years now and they have great synchrony out on the court.
They don’t begin the defence of their title until Tuesday, 18th of April. However, in an interview given the day before Schuurs hinted that she carries a groin strain into the tournament so monitoring her health going forward will be vital.
3. Melichar-Martinez/Olmos
The American/Mexican duo Melichar-Martinez/Olmos are one of the more interesting new pairings. They come into the competition seed 3rd thanks to Olmos having the stats as the world number 1 in doubles with her previous partner, who has now taken time off to have a child.
Melichar-Martinez has played with Olmos before and we think they will have a very strong showing in Stuttgart. In fact, if Olmos continues to return serve the way she has been doing lately, the best service returner in doubles so far in 2023 according to WTA analytics, we think these two could be serious title contenders.
4. Dabrowski/Stefani
The last seeded pair is the Canadian/Brazilian duo Dabrowski/Stefani. Both play exclusively only doubles, so they are somewhat specialists and can be a pair worth watching. Stefani loves clay surfaces as she grew up playing on them. Dabrowski can have a monster serve if he gets it going.
The one issue with them is health. Both have been injured already in 2023, both had parts of their bodies heavily strapped on the training courts of Stuttgart on Monday morning. Also, Dabrowski spent an hour with a physio after their training session.
Stuttgart 2023 Doubles Draws
The draw has been made and the main set of round 1 matches will begin on Tuesday, 18th of April. However, the first doubles game will be played on Monday and it will see the number 1 seed Kichenok/Ostapenko and the dangerous all-Russian pair Kudermetova/Potapova. The match is scheduled to begin around 14:15 GMT.
Draw Brackets
The WTA Stuttgart Doubles begin directly from round 16. The top Bracket of the draw sees the number 1 seed Kichenok/Ostapenko heading towards a potential semifinal clash with the 3rd seed Melichar-Martinez/Olmos. There are other dangerous pairs in that half of the draw though. No less, the 2 all-Asian partnerships Kato/Sutjiadi and Xu/Yang.
In the bottom bracket, the defending champions and number 2 seed Krawczyk/Schuurs have a relatively easy draw in the first 2 rounds. That said, as revealed above Schuurs is nursing an injury and this could complicate things for the champs. Still, if fit we can’t see them having any trouble making it at least to the semis. There a potential matchup with the 4th seed Dabrowski/Stefani awaits. They are also not 100% fit though so it would be interesting to see if actually, an unseeded pair can make it all the way to the final from this half of the draw. The all-German duo Bartel/Friedsam have their ambitions. We also like the American/Slovakian partnerships Mihalikova/Parks. Both of them prefer clay surfaces.
Stuttgart 2023 Doubles Predictions
The doubles tournament is always hard to predict as many of the pairs mix and match during the season. Still, we like the chances of the number 1 seed Kichenok/Ostapenko, as long as they find a way to win their round 1 tricky clash against the all-Russian heavy hitters Kudermetova/Potapova. The bookies clearly think this game will be close too as they give Kichenok/Ostapenko 10/11 (1.91) odds for the win.
Of course, we can’t ignore the defending champions and number 2 seed Krawczyk/Schuurs. What worries us about their chances is their health. If they stay fit they have an easier half of the draw and once in the final, we think they might actually have an edge over whoever is up against them. In any case, the bookies seem to fancy their chances in round 1 as their odds for a win vs Kichenok/Zimmermann are only 4/9 (1.44).
Play is about to begin in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Doubles. Sit and enjoy and make sure you come back as we will keep updating you with the freshest news from the tournament. Here’s how to watch all the action.
