Kraus eases into Kitzbühel quarterfinals

Kitzbühel, July 16, 2026 The 24-year-old Sinja Kraus has confidently reached the quarterfinals at the WTA 125 tournament in Kitzbühel. The Viennese player defeated 18-year-old Eva Bennemann in just 63 minutes and will face Russian Erika Andreeva on Friday. Sinja Kraus has advanced to the quarterfinals at the WTA 125 clay-court tournament in Kitzbühel without dropping a set and will face Russian Erika Andreeva there on Friday. ## Kraus dominates from the start The 24-year-old Viennese player Sinja Kraus, Austria's number two, needed only 63 minutes on Wednesday in the round of 16 to clearly beat the 18-year-old German Eva Bennemann, who is ranked outside the top 300. Kraus, who had been considered the clear favorite beforehand, dictated play from the baseline and left her six-years-younger opponent little room to operate. After the confident victory, she spoke in an ORF interview about a match plan executed precisely. Kraus made clear right in the first set that she wanted to decide the match early. At 0–0, she broke Bennemann's serve but immediately gave the break back. Her service then stabilized, and the first set went to the Austrian 6–1. She allowed the first set point after less than 30 minutes of play, an indication of the brisk pace set by the Viennese player. The picture barely changed at the start of the second set. Kraus consistently controlled the rallies from the baseline, forced Bennemann into errors with deep, well-placed shots, and prevented the German from making any statements of her own. At 5–2, Kraus converted her third match point and sealed her place in the quarterfinals. Speaking with ORF, she was correspondingly pleased with her performance. ## Reactions after the match In a post-match interview, the 24-year-old said: „Ich bin sehr zufrieden. Ich habe genau das gemacht, was ich mir vorgenommen habe. Von der Grundlinie war es sehr solide, deshalb bin ich sehr froh über den Sieg.“ On the atmosphere in Kitzbühel, she added: „Es ist eine Megastimmung hier in Kitzbühel, jedes Match ist etwas ganz Besonderes.“ Her words underscored the strong form Kraus is currently showing on clay. Even before the match, Kraus had emphasized that she had „genau das gespielt, was ich mir vorgenommen habe. Ich habe von der Grundlinie sehr solide gespielt“. The discipline in her execution was one of the reasons Bennemann barely got into the match. The 18-year-old, who had only made it into the main draw through qualifying, was in the end the second loser of the day from a German-speaking perspective. ## Quarterfinal against Andreeva Awaiting Kraus in the quarterfinal on Friday is Russian Erika Andreeva. Andreeva is the older sister of French Open winner Mirra Andreeva and is regarded as a technically accomplished player. Speaking in an ORF interview, Kraus looked cautiously ahead to the upcoming task and warned: „Sie ist auf jeden Fall eine sehr gute Spielerin, sie stand schon höher in der Weltrangliste. Es wird kein leichtes Spiel.“ It is therefore clear that although the Viennese player cleared the opening hurdle convincingly, she will need to raise her level noticeably in the quarterfinal. ## TV coverage and key facts The tournament in Kitzbühel is a WTA 125 event played on clay and offers total prize money of 100,000 euros. For the home players, it is one of the few opportunities to test themselves against top players in front of a domestic crowd. ORF1 will broadcast the matches live on Friday from 10:50 a.m., and ORF Sport+ will additionally show the matches from 1:00 p.m. Fans in Austria thus have the chance to follow Kraus's quarterfinal either on free-to-air television or on the dedicated sports channel. ## Grabher completes the ÖTV duo in the quarterfinals Alongside Kraus, another Austrian, Julia Grabher, is also represented in the quarterfinals. The 30-year-old from Vorarlberg, seeded number four, had already reached the round of 16 the previous day. In the round of 16, she defeated the 19-year-old wild card player Ekaterina Perelygina, who also represents Austria, 7–5, 6–3. The duel had been billed in advance as an "ÖTV generational matchup," since Grabher and Perelygina, two players from different age groups, faced each other. Awaiting Grabher in the quarterfinals is either Slovenia's Polona Hercog or the number-seven-seeded Belgian Jeline Vandromme. That means home fans will be able to follow two quarterfinal matches featuring Austrian players on Friday. Kraus plays Andreeva, while Grabher faces Hercog or Vandromme. Should both Austrians win their matches, a semifinal between Kraus and Grabher would be conceivable — a scenario that would carry particular significance for domestic tennis. ORF has announced that it will broadcast the matches live, so the sporting weekend in Tyrol will also attract attention in front of television screens. ## Outlook for Friday Kraus, who entered the match against Bennemann as the clear favorite, set the tone from the start. Her 6–1, 6–2 victory underlined her current form on clay and proved that she remains steady in pressure situations as well. For the 24-year-old, who was born in Vienna and also trains there, the tournament in Kitzbühel is an important step with regard to the rest of her season planning. Ranking points in this WTA category are particularly valuable because the tournament is played on clay and thus serves as preparation for the hardcourt season in North America. Bennemann, who is only 18 years old and ranked outside the top 300, was unable to threaten Kraus's experience on the day. The German, who had entered the main draw as a qualifier, was nevertheless able to gain valuable experience on the WTA Tour. Her next task is a return to regular play on the ITF circuit, where she must continue to collect ranking points in order to make the leap into the top 300. Kraus, on the other hand, has the chance in Kitzbühel to put herself forward for the challenges ahead. Should she reach the semifinal, she would face a considerably stronger opponent. But first her full concentration is on the match against Andreeva, whom she will meet in the quarterfinal on Friday. The Viennese appeared characteristically focused in her interview when she said: „Ich bin sehr zufrieden mit meiner Leistung.“ It is a statement that underlines the standard Kraus sets for her own performances — and one that was demonstrated once again in Kitzbühel with her confident run to the quarterfinals.