Aryna is finally determined to win on grass!

Aryna Sabalenka doesn’t know why she’s never won a title on grass either. “But it’s about time. I feel very comfortable on grass and see the advantages the surface gives me for my game… maybe this year is the one,” said the world No. 1 ahead of her opening match at the VANDA Pharmaceuticals BERLIN TENNIS OPEN. It sounded like a statement of intent.

Before Aryna Sabalenka begins her quest for a first grass-court title on Wednesday at Steffi Graf Stadium on Hundekehlesee, another headline match awaits fans at the Berlin WTA 500 tournament. On Tuesday, U.S. superstar Serena Williams continues her return to competitive tennis, teaming up with Karolina Muchova in doubles.

Aryna Sabalenka is also happy about Williams’ comeback.

Sabalenka is looking forward to seeing Williams back on court as well: “That’s cool! She’s a great personality, and it’s fun to watch her. She’ll bring excitement. Not only for herself, but for the sport of tennis as a whole. She’ll attract more attention to tennis, and that’s great for the sport.”

In addition to Serena Williams’ highly anticipated comeback, Tuesday’s schedule features several other world-class matchups. Alexandra Eala (WTA No. 35) of the Philippines will take on Croatia’s Donna Vekic (WTA No. 33), who claimed the first WTA 500 title of her career at Queen’s Club just last Sunday. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Anna Kalinskaya, both quarterfinalists at Roland Garros 2026, will face each other in another high-quality first-round match.

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First surprise: French Open 2026 semifinalist Diana Shnaider is out

With Diana Shnaider’s first-round loss on Monday, the VANDA Pharmaceuticals BERLIN TENNIS OPEN 2026 has seen its first minor upset. Just two weeks ago, Shnaider defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at Roland Garros, but in Berlin she fell in the opening round to Czech player Nikola Bartunkova (WTA No. 62), 2-6, 7-6(2), 3-6.

Shortly before Nikola Bartunkova, Ekaterina Alexandrova had already advanced to the round of 16 after her first-round opponent, Anastasia Potapova (AUT), was forced to retire due to a neck injury while trailing 6-1. In the final match of the day, Elise Mertens (BEL) came through a thrilling three-set victory (1-6, 6-3, 6-0) over Ludmilla Samsonova, the 2021 Berlin champion, to also reach the round of 16.

Eva Lys, the Last German in the Main Draw

Just as changeable as the weather over the weekend, the mood among German fans was equally mixed on Monday. They first saw Hamburg native Ella Seidel lose to France’s Diane Parry (3-6, 4-6). Then, Tessa Johanna Brockmann of Schleswig-Holstein produced a strong win over American Alycia Parks (4-6, 6-4, 6-2), before losing later that day to Dutch player Suzan Lamens in the second round of qualifying (6-2, 6-2). Wildcard entry Eva Lys thus remains the only German player in the main draw.

Also qualifying for the main draw are China’s Shuai Zhang (6-2, 6-4 over Magdalena Frech of Poland), Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova (6-1, 6-4 over Mia Pohankova of Slovakia), France’s Diane Parry (6-4, 7-5 against Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine), and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic (6-4, 6-2 against Lin Zhu of China) and Mexico’s Renata Zarazua (1-6, 6-4, 6-3 against Croatia’s Petra Marcinko).

Additional seating released for Serena Williams’ comeback

Tickets remain available for Serena Williams’ much-anticipated comeback, as she teams up with Karolina Muchova in doubles on Tuesday. An additional 424 seats in the auxiliary grandstand have been released for sale. Centre Court at the Steffi Graf Stadion, including the auxiliary grandstand, is already sold out for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, while a limited number of tickets remain available for Wednesday and Thursday.