Magda Linette is taking her talents from Australia to Austin.
Fresh off a career-best run to the Australian Open semifinals, Poland’s Linette is the top-ranked player on the initial entry list for the inaugural ATX Open, set for February 27-March 5th at Westwood Country Club in Austin, Texas.
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The field also includes a pair of US Open champions in Emma Raducanu (2021) and Sloane Stephens (2017) as well as a player who has already won a WTA title in 2023 (Lauren Davis in Hobart) and four players who claimed titles during the 2022 season. Danielle Collins from the University of Virginia and Peyton Stearns from the University of Texas give the field two NCAA singles champions.
“It is fantastic to receive the entry list for the first ATX Open and to see such a strong field preparing to come to Austin,” said Christo Van Rensburg, DropShot Series Tournament Director. “This is a very deep field, which means we can expect to have high quality matches throughout the entire week.
"Between getting these entries and having less than one month to go until first ball, the anticipation for the tournament is reaching a fever pitch.”
The ATX Open will be the first tournament held in the United States during the WTA’s 50th anniversary season.
An overview of the player field for the inaugural ATX Open:
Total WTA singles titles: 29
Most WTA singles titles: Sloane Stephens, 7
2023 singles title winners: 1 – Lauren Davis (Hobart)
2022 singles title winners: 4 – Anna Blinkova (Cluj-Napoca), Anastasia Potapova (Istanbul), Stephens (Guadalajara), Shuai Zhang (Lyon)
2022 singles finalists: 6 players in 7 finals – Danielle Collins (Australian Open), Magda Linette (Chennai), Jasmine Paolina (Cluj-Napoca), Potapova (Prague), Alison Riske-Amritraj – 2 (Adelaide, Nottingham), Zhang (Birmingham)
Grand Slam singles champions: 2 – Emma Raducanu (2021 US Open), Stephens (2017 US Open)
Grand Slam singles finalists: 2 – Collins (2022 Australian Open), Stephens (2018 French Open)
NCAA singles champions: 2 with 3 titles – Collins (2014, 2016, Virginia), Peyton Stearns (2022, Texas)
Age 22 and younger: 7 (Youngest – Raducanu and Marta Kostyuk, 20)
Age 30 and over: 5 (Oldest – Zhang, 34)
Americans: 9 – Madison Brengle, Collins, Davis, Caty McNally, Alycia Parks, Riske-Amritraj, Stearns, Stephens, Taylor Townsend
Below are the initial entries into the ATX Open:
(WTA Rank), Name, Age, Country • Bio Brief
(22) Magda Linette, 30, Poland • 2023 Australian Open semifinalist; Five-time WTA finalist
(23) Shuai Zhang, 34, China • Quarterfinalist or better at six events in 2022
(31) Anhelina Kalinina, 25, Ukraine • Open 2023 with quarterfinal in Hobart after four QFs last season
(39) Danielle Collins, 29, USA • 2022 Australian Open finalist; Two-time NCAA champion
(40) Sloane Stephens, 29, USA • 2017 US Open champion; Winner of seven career WTA titles
(43) Anastasia Potapova, 21 • Reached two finals in 2022, winning one title
(48) Lauren Davis, 29, USA • As a qualifier, won title at Hobart in January
(53) Anna Kalinskaya, 24 • Reached one semifinal and two quarterfinals in 2022
(55) Alison Riske-Amritraj, 32, USA • Reached two finals in 2022
(60) Marta Kostyuk, 20, Ukraine • 2017 Australian Open junior champion
(64) Anna Blinkova, 24 • Semifinalist in Hobart in January; Winner at Cluj-Napoca in 2022
(66) Jasmine Paolini, 27, Italy • Has reached one final in each the past two seasons
(67) Danka Kovinic, 28, Montenegro • Runner-up at three WTA events
(76) Alison Van Uytvanck, 28, Belgium • Has reached five career finals and won them all
(77) Emma Raducanu, 20, Great Britain • 2021 US Open champion; 2022 Seoul semifinalist
(79) Alycia Parks, 22, USA • Closed 2022 with back-to-back titles at WTA 125 events
(80) Madison Brengle, 32, USA • Owns 19 career ITF titles, including three in 2022
(83) Varvara Gracheva, 22 • Reached third round at 2023 Australian Open
(85) Viktorija Golubic, 30, Switzerland • 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinalist
(90) Caty McNally, 21, USA • Closed 2022 with first career WTA 125 title
SR* (120) Taylor Townsend, 26, USA • Gave birth to son in March 2021; Won two ITF titles in 2022
WC (188) Peyton Stearns, 21, USA • 2022 NCAA singles champion; Led Texas to two NCAA team titles
*SR denotes a special ranking used for entry by a player who had an extended period out of competition
Six players will join the field through a two-round qualifying tournament February 25-26. Up to three additional wild cards may also be awarded. In total, 32-players will compete in the ATX Open singles draw while the doubles field will consist of 16 teams.
Westwood Country Club will be transformed to feature a 1,700-seat Stadium Court for the tournament.
Photo credit: Getty