Since the transformation of Stuttgart Porsche Grand Prix from an indoor hardcourt fall tournament to an indoor clay event in the spring, the past finalists of this championship since 2009 have gone to the finals of Roland Garros. If the trend continues this year, Danish world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and Germany’s new heroine Julia Goerges will have something to look forward to in Paris next month.
The final was contested between the heavy favorite versus the local favorite. The twenty-year old Dane, Caroline Wozniacki, leading the tour and the current crop of the WTA by becoming the 20th world number one with fifteen tour titles since 2008; while the 22-year-old German, Julia Goerges, bidding to be the first German to win the premier level tournament since Anke Huber achieved the feat twenty years ago.
Many expected the world number one to earn her 16th tour title and first red clay title of her career. Though Wozniacki did not drop a set on her route to the final, she knew Goerges was in form coming in to the championship match. The German defeated Australian Samantha Stosur in the semifinals, who is one of the tour’s more accomplished dirt player the past two seasons by reaching the semifinals and finals of Roland Garros the past two seasons.
It was a duel of two contrasting styles: Goerges succeeds in offense with her penetrating forehand, whereas Wozniacki’s bread and butter game is her defense and solid backhand. In the end, the Dane’s renowned defense and retrieval skills were not enough to compensate for Goerges’ barrage of winners from every angle of the court. Goerges unleashed 38 winners to Wozniacki’s 9 and earned her a straight set victory, a brand new Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet, a seeding at Roland Garros, and not to mention the biggest ‘W’ in her career.
Georges’ victory over the world’s number one serves notice to the rest of the tour as a dark horse for the golden prize in Paris next month.
I have been following Julia and her steadily-developing game for quite some time now. I must say it was pure joy, for so many reasons, to watch her excel at Stuttgart.
I love the passion she exudes on the court yet, with much ease and sincerity, still being so modest and gracious in victory. As I watched her confidently close out the biggest “W” of her young, promising career, with all the things I could have – and justifiably should have – said, all that came out was “good for her”. But that likely was because I was smiling so big I couldn’t form any more words :)))
That being the case, I would like to properly punctuate my complete, formal assessment of her magnificent display of athleticism, talent, and grace by concluding:
“Good for Tennis” !!!