Aryna Sabalenka through to Stuttgart Open Quarter-Finals on Saturday without playing a match after Potapova withdrawal

Aryna Sabalenka is through to the Quarter-Finals of the 2025 Stuttgart Open without playing a match after Anastasia Potapova had to withdraw from their Last 16 tie due to injury.

Potapova beat Clara Tauson yesterday and confirmed a recurrence of an old injury and hopes to be set for Madrid. But this also has seen Sabalenka get most of the rest of the week off.

"Very sad to announce that I’m not able to continue my run in Stuttgart. Last few days were very tough and unfortunately my old injury came up.I always loved to play here and happy with my yesterday's win, but it is what it is…See you in 2026! I will make sure I’m ready and healthy for Madrid," wrote Potapova on Instagram.

Already set for a Wednesday start, Sabalenka will now not play and with the Quarter-Finals now set to take place on Saturday due to public holidays. This means the tournament ends on Easter Monday.

But Sabalenka will now have a major chance to win the title by only playing a maximum of three games.

"Due to the public holiday bye-laws of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, it is not allowed to hold sports events on Good Friday (18 April). As a result, the singles final will be played on Easter Monday whilst the doubles winners will be determined as usual on Sunday."

She will face either Elise Mertens or Diana Shnaider in the Quarter-Finals who will face off tomorrow. Semi-final wise, it is likely to be Coco Gauff or Jasmine Paolini as they lurk in the same quarter. Iga Swiatek who she has lost to in the final multiple times would be a final opponent.

But overall Potapova withdrawing could be a blessing or a curse as it means less game time but could mean she is undercooked when she plays potentially Shnaider in the Quarter-Finals. TIme will tell.