Porsche Team Germany players at the year’s first Grand Slam
Stuttgart. The Porsche Team Germany players are quietly confident going into the Australian Open. After an impressive start to the season, Angelique Kerber in particular is in fine form ahead of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year which starts in Melbourne on Monday. “My aim for the season is to play consistently at a high level and it’s gone quite well up to now,” said the 25-year-old who stood in the final at the warm-up tournament in Sydney. Though she missed out on winning her fourth WTA title, she is travelling to the Australian Open in a confident frame of mind: “I’ve got a lot of positives and am ready.”
In her opening match the No. 9 seed will meet Australian Jarmila Gajdosova, who, as the world No. 265, has made it into the draw with the help of a wild card. Far more formidable opponents are however awaiting her teammates: Andrea Petkovic will play Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia), Mona Barthel will be up against the Chinese Shuai Zhang and Annika Beck will take on Croatia’s Petra Martic. The player with the toughest task on her hands is without doubt Julia Görges – the winner of the 2011 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2011 has to face Italian Sara Errani, the world No. 7, in her opening encounter. In the doubles Anna-Lena Grönefeld will team up with her Croatian partner Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
Two Porsche Talent Team Germany members – Dinah Pfizenmaier and Carina Witthöft – will also be appearing in the main draw at the Australian Open for the first time. Dinah Pfizenmaier will play Belgian Yanina Wickmayer in her first round match. Watched on by Barbara Rittner, the national coach and Porsche Team Germany captain, Carina Witthöft battled her way through qualifying to reach the main draw where she will face Mandy Minella from Luxembourg.
