The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix has announced its new ‘One Point Challenge’, inspired by the recent success of a similar event at the Australian Open.
This exhibition event will run alongside the main WTA tournament in Stuttgart in April. It will feature established tennis players as well as athletes from other sports in a knockout format based on single points.
Elena Rybakina is set to be one of the key participants, along with Germany’s Laura Siegemund. The tournament aims to match the excitement created by the Australian Open’s ‘One Point Slam’, where top players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner competed against amateurs for a prize pool of $1 million.
In Stuttgart, professional players will again compete alongside non-tennis athletes. Bundesliga goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow, currently with VfB Stuttgart, will make the switch from football to tennis on April 13, coinciding with the start of the main competition at the clay-court event.
Stuttgart mirrors Australian Open with cross-sport competition
The ‘One Point Challenge’ in Stuttgart is based on the ‘One Point Slam’ from the Australian Open, which featured professional players in single-point eliminations against amateurs. Amateur Jordan Smith won that event, which was praised for its fan engagement.
By using a similar format, Stuttgart aims to build on this success while adapting it to its own audience. Rybakina, a former champion in Stuttgart, adds credibility, while Bredlow brings a cross-sport angle that expands its appeal.
Rybakina’s participation follows her performance at the Miami Open, where she reached the semifinals before losing to Aryna Sabalenka. The Kazakh player, who won the Stuttgart title in 2024, is looking to utilize this exhibition format for competitive prep.
Alongside Rybakina and Siegemund, Stuttgart’s main draw will feature numerous top players, with the ‘One Point Challenge’ offering an exciting additional storyline for the tournament week, following a format that has already proven popular.
Stuttgart stands out as a premier WTA 500 event on clay
Stuttgart is known as one of the top WTA 500 events, crucial in the clay-court season. The defending champion, Jelena Ostapenko, won the 2025 final against Aryna Sabalenka. The World No. 1 is also set to compete, seeking her first title after reaching the finals four times without a win.
Other former champions returning include Ostapenko (2025), Rybakina (2024), Iga Swiatek (2022, 2023), and Siegemund (2017). The draw is expected to be strong, featuring seven top-10 players and a total of 14 players ranked in the top 20.