“Prefer To Play Her on Clay”: Laura Siegemund on Her Chances Against Ashleigh Barty at Stuttgart Open 2021

Published 04/21/2021, 4:01 AM EDT

German tennis player Laura Siegemund will take on World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the Round of 16 matches at the WTA Stuttgart Open 2021. The German athlete had to beat her fellow German counterpart, Mona Barthel, in three close-fought sets to book a spot into the next round.

After her win, Laura spoke on the challenging prospect of facing Australian ace, Ashleigh Barty, up next. She reflected on her chances of winning the match and is expecting Barty to make matters difficult for her. Laura maintained that it would be easier for her to find motivation as she had no pressure, and she also joked that it was her opponent who was visiting her court.

The German player revealed details and stated, “Not different than for any other match. But against Ashleigh, that’s a different category and I think it will be a bit easier, maybe finding the inner strive. It’s going to be very difficult for me to win, and it would be a great win for me. So one thing on the list that would be one of my biggest wins. So that makes it easier to find that motivation and I have no pressure. It’s really my court (laughs).”

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Laura feels that she has a good chance of making things difficult for the former French Open winner on a clay court. During the week in Stuttgart, she came across Barty training and saw a glimpse of the Australian player’s versatility. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, Laura indicated that her level of play should be at the highest if she wants to cause an upset.

Taking note of that prospect, Laura added, “I do think I have more chances than on the hardcourt. Still, I’ve got to play very good tennis, you know. She’s a really good all-around player. I saw her also in practice this week, and she’s just a tough competitor because her game is so versatile. It’s hard. But I prefer to play her on clay than on the hardcourt, that’s for sure.”

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Both players have played against each other once in the past. It was during the WTA Doha Open 2020, and the Australian athlete breezed past the German in straight sets. They will play later today at the WTA Stuttgart Open 2021.

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Rohan Kollare is a tennis author for EssentiallySports. Rohan has a post-graduate diploma in Sports Management and a trophy cabinet adorned with accolades won in district and state-level tennis competitions. He has previously worked in Content Operations for Disney’s Hotstar for over a year, covering tennis and Formula One.