Tatjana Maria launches successful start to the London grass season

Next hurdle: Rybakina

In the next round, Maria faces Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, the top seed of the tournament. Rybakina is one of the favorites for the title and will be the toughest obstacle Maria has faced in this year's grass season so far.

Alongside Maria, Laura Siegemund is also in the round of 16. The 38-year-old from Metzingen defeated Britain's Francesca Jones 6:2, 6:3 in the first round and now faces second-seeded Amanda Anisimova of the USA. As a result, two German players have reached the last 16 of the WTA 500 event.

Siegemund also advances

Maria emphasized the special atmosphere at the Queen's Club after the match. "Die Unterstützung war so fantastisch", she said: "Ich bin happy, wieder auf Rasen spielen zu können." The return to the scene of her greatest career success was also an important emotional moment for the mother of two.

Prior to the tournament in London, Maria had suffered an opening-round defeat to Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse in 's-Hertogenbosch. Against Ruse, she lost 4:6, 6:7 (5:7). The slump in form had initially cast doubt over her start in London, but with the clear victory over former world number three Sakkari, the German rediscovered her strength.

With the win over Sakkari, Maria once again underlined her qualities on grass. In 2022, she had already advanced to the semifinals at Wimbledon, highlighting her preference for the fast surfaces. The grass season holds particular significance for her this year, as she has gone through an impressive development between 2022 and 2026.

Criticism over the missing wildcard

Her husband and coach Charles-Édouard Maria had previously criticized the lack of support for his wife in an interview with the British newspaper Telegraph. "Es ist traurig, die Realität ist, dass sie uns nicht helfen", he complained. With regard to the denied wildcard despite her title, these comments made clear that the family viewed the situation as ungrateful.

The tournament at the Queen's Club is classified as a WTA 500 event and is therefore one of the high-profile warm-up tournaments ahead of Wimbledon. The draw against Rybakina in the next round shows that Maria faces a world-class opponent early on in her title defense.

For the German tennis scene, the results in London are altogether encouraging. With Maria and Siegemund, two German players have made it to the round of 16, underscoring the depth of German women's tennis on grass.