Linz 411: Dates, draws, format, seeds, wild cards and prize money

The WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz now returns to Europe for the first European tournament of the clay-court swing in the 2026 Upper Australia Ladies Linz Open.

Celebrating it's 35th edition as a stop on the WTA Tour, the tournament enters its third year as a WTA 500 event. Linz will feature a walk of champions in the fan zone to mark the occasion.  

From dates to draws and prize money, here is everything to know about the Linz Open:

What are the dates for each round?

Main-draw play from Austria begins on Monday, April 6, with both the singles and doubles finals being held on Sunday, April 12. The tournament surface is indoor clay court, using a Dunlop clay court ball. This is the first year the event will be held on clay.

Singles
Qualifiers: April 5-6
First round: April 6-8
Second round: April 8-9
Quarterfinals: April 10
Semifinals: April 11
Final: April 12

Doubles
First round: April 6-8
Quarterfinals: April 8-9
Semifinals: April 10-11
Final: April 12

What are the draws, top seeds and notable wild cards?

In Linz, there will be a 28-player singles draw, featuring 19 direct entrants, four qualifiers, four wild cards and one special exempt entry. The top four seeded players will receive a bye into the second round.

World No. 10 Mirra Andreeva -- who recently accepted the top 30 replacement player spot -- leads the field, followed by defending champion Ekaterina Alexandrova, Liudmila Samsonova and 2024 champ Jelena Ostapenko. Karolina Pliskova, who won the Linz title in 2024, will use her protected ranking to directly enter the main draw.

Alexandrala Eala will make her debut at Linz and first appearance on clay court this season, while European players Sorana Cirstea, Jaqueline Cristian and Sara Bejlek are among other players in the field. The full draws can be found here. 

Linz full player list 

*Player list is subject to change

Notable wild cards: Sinja Kraus, Lilli Tagger, Paula Badosa

Withdrawals: Clara Tauson, Emma Raducanu, Emma Navarro, Marketa Vondrousova, Barbora Krejcikova, Antonia Ruzic, Daria Kasatkina

Moved into main draw: Katie Boulter, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Julia Grabher, Dalma Galfi, Anastasia Potapova, Panna Udvardy, Alycia Parks

Who are the defending champions?

The third time was the charm for Alexandrova, who captured the Linz title after two finalist finishes in the previous six years. She defeated Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in a thriller to win her fifth WTA title and first 500 title. 

In a rollercoaster match, Alexandrova had built a set and a 3-0 lead, before the Ukranian won nine straight games to steal the second set and built a 3-0 lead of her own in the third. Alexandrova ultimately came back to prevail in the two hour and 11-minute final.

Alexandrova is the second highest ranked player on the entry list, but withdrew from Charleston this week because of a lower-back injury. As for now, she is still scheduled to compete in Linz. 

In doubles, the fourth-seeded pair Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani withstood twins Nadiia Kichenok and Lyudmyla Kichenok 3-6, 7-5, [10-4]. They won seven of the first eight points in the tiebreak, earning their first victory as a pair. Ultimately, the finished the season as runner-ups at the WTA Finals Riyadh. 

What are the ranking points and prize money at stake?

As with all WTA 500 events, 500 ranking points will be available for both the PIF WTA Rankings and Race of the WTA Finals in Riyadh. More than €1.04 million ($1.2 million) is available in the prize money pool, with the singles champion taking home more than €160,000.

Below is a full breakdown of prize money and ranking points for each of the draws.

Singles (ranking points | prize money)
First round: 1 | €11,309
Second round: 60 | €15,690
Quarterfinal: 108 | €30,495
Semifinal: 195 | €57,395
Finalist: 325 | €99,565
Champion: 500 | €161,310

Doubles (ranking points | prize money)
First round: 1 | €5,910
Quarterfinal: 108 | €9,700
Semifinal: 195 | €18,890
Finalist: 325 | €32,520
Champion: 500 | €53,510