The 2017 Internationeaux de Strasbourg tournament is about to begin. This is France’s way of hosting a number of middle-level players before they make the short commute to Paris for the French Open a week later. Players who didn’t go very far in Rome and are rusty enough that they can use some match play will try to develop a rhythm before the one clay-court Grand Slam event of the year.
The competition in the 32-player main draw will begin on Sunday, May 21.
Event Details
Event: Internationeaux de Strasbourg
Category: WTA International Level
Date: May 21 – 27, 2017
Location: Strasbourg Tennis Club – Strasbourg, France
With a prize money allotment of $250,000, this tournament is not a draw for the cash. This is about playing some matches before the French Open for players who feel they haven’t played enough or think there’s something they need to work on in their games. For players who played a full week in Rome, generally the kinds of players who are ranked in the top 10, there’s really no need to play in Strasbourg or in other tour events during the week before the French Open. For players who rarely if ever go deep in tournaments and therefore find themselves with a lot of downtime between tournaments, this event makes perfect sense. Fatigue is not a factor. Playing two or three matches before the French Open is a perfect way to warm up. If a player happens to win all five matches, she grabs a tour-level championship, which means something even if she doesn’t then win a bunch of matches in Paris.
Points
Champion – 280
Runner-up – 180
Semifinal – 110
Quarterfinal – 60
Round of 16 – 30
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2016 – Caroline Garcia def. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni – 6-4, 6-1
2015 – Samantha Stosur def. Kristina Mladenovic – 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
2014 – Monica Puig def. Silvia Soler Espinosa – 6-4, 6-3
2013 – Alize Cornet def. Lucie Hradecka – 7-6, 6-0
2012 – Francesca Schiavone def. Alize Cornet – 6-4, 6-4
Player Info:
Last year, Caroline Wozniacki skipped the entire clay season due to an ankle injury. This year though, a shoulder injury has kept her out of Rome and there are enough doubts over her participation in Strasbourg. The Dane will play only if she recovers from it completely. Clay has not seen Wozniacki continue her hardcourt-season form. She suffered relatively early losses in Charleston, Prague and Madrid. Wozniacki lost to Jelena Ostapenko on two occasions– in straight sets in Charleston’s quarterfinals and in a tight three-setter in the round of 16 in Prague. In Madrid, she came up short against Carla Suarez Navarro in the third round. Even if Wozniacki recovers in time, don’t expect spectacular results in her comeback tournament on clay. Nevertheless, a couple of wins might help her become confident on clay.
Mirjana Lučić-Baroni was finding lines and was firing cannon balls but the end result wasn’t what she expected. Even a whopping 41 winners were not enough to beat Maria Sharapova in the opening round in Madrid. The Croatian played Sharapova again in Rome and the match even went to the deciding set, but the Russian star had to retire due to a left thigh injury. Overall, it’s been a fantastic year for Lucic-Baroni, who is 17-10 on the season and at age 35 continues to climb up the rankings. Strasbourg also gives her the opportunity to accumulate more points and make a charge toward the top 15, which has never looked close until now.
Carla Suarez Navarro is only 9-8 on the season, but that’s more due to the injury she suffered earlier in the season. The Spaniard has found the going to be hard. Suarez Navarro was blown off the court by Kristina Mladenovic in the quarterfinals in Stuttgart, and endured a tough loss to Coco Vandeweghe in the round of 16 in Madrid. Suarez Navarro will come to Strasbourg on the back of a strange three-set defeat to Lauren Davis in Rome. Can she find form in time for Roland Garros?
Daria Gavrilova toiled hard and never gave up even after losing the first set 6-2 to 13th-ranked Madison Keys. The Australian national was a break down in the deciding set but fought hard to beat Keys 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 in a grinding match that lasted two hours and 25 minutes. Gavrilova backed up her win over Keys with another three-set victory over Caroline Garcia. If she comes to Strasbourg with long and tiring matches under her belt, Gavrilova is less likely to go very far.
Strasbourg Tennis Club
The Strasbourg Tennis Club enjoys a rich and lengthy history, dating back to 1921, when 99 members formed the community of tennis enthusiasts which helped nourish and develop the game. The club’s facilities underwent a series of changes and renovations, the most notable one being an expansion which occurred in 1972. This tournament began in 1987 and is entering its 30th edition this year. It’s become a fixture on the WTA Tour.
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