The hard-court swing of the 2026 season is over with the conclusion of the Miami Open, and the clay season started in the United States, with the WTA 500 event in Charleston being the first stop for the top players. Another top event is the Linz Open in Austria, where Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva are set to enter as wild cards.
Paula Badosa and Mirra Andreeva to Feature in Linz Open Following Emma Raducanu’s Withdrawal
The 2026 Linz Open is scheduled from April 6 to April 12 at the Design Center Linz in Linz, Austria. Since its inception in 1987, the event has been played on indoor hardcourts, but this marks the first time in its 35 editions that it will be played on clay courts.
With the change in tournament tier naming, the Linz Open was designated a WTA 250 event until 2024, after which it became a WTA 500 event.
This year, many top stars were initially set to feature at the tournament; however, it has been hit with a series of withdrawals, affecting the lineup. British star Emma Raducanu pulled out of the tournament due to post-viral symptoms after falling ill in February, and other major withdrawals included two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejčíková, American Emma Navarro, and Croatian star Antonia Ružić.
To boost the tournament lineup, the organizers offered last-minute wild cards to other top stars, including Badosa and Andreeva. The Spaniard recently suffered a round-of-16 exit against Russian Anna Kalinskaya at the Charleston Open, while the Russian teenager lost in the fourth round of the Miami Open to Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko.
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Following the wild card, Andreeva will be the top seed at the tournament. The tournament’s official account posted the announcement on X, writing:
“Top star incoming! 🤩 We’re excited to welcome Paula Badosa to this year’s tournament in Linz! She receives a Wild Card for the main draw — welcome to Linz, Paula, we can’t wait to see you! 🎾”
Top star incoming! 🤩
We’re excited to welcome Paula Badosa to this year’s tournament in Linz!
She receives a wild card for the main draw — welcome to Linz, Paula, we can’t wait to see you! 🎾 pic.twitter.com/dzsGQ9f5yo— #WTALinz (@WTALinz) April 4, 2026
The tournament features a 28-player singles main draw, with 19 direct entrants, 4 qualifiers, 4 wild cards, and 1 special exempt entry. Russians lead the seeding, with Andreeva as the top seed, defending champion Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Liudmila Samsonova as the second and third seeds. 2017 Roland Garros champion Jeļena Ostapenko is the fourth seed, with all four receiving a bye in the first round.
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Notably, the 2014 Linz Open champion, Karolína Plíšková, will enter the tournament under a protected ranking. Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala will be making her debut at the venue, marking her first clay outing this season. The tournament prize pool exceeds €1.04 million ($1.2 million), with the singles champion taking home more than €160,000 and 500 ranking points.
The 2023 champion, Anastasia Potapova, and the “51% shareholder,” Katie Boulter, have been moved into the main draw, making it a star-studded field. It will be interesting to see which star lifts the trophy, getting a massive boost at the very beginning of the clay season.
