Stuttgart WTA Tournament Organizers Criticize Tennis Australia For Scheduling Conflict

The organizers of the WTA tournament in Stuttgart, Germany "have criticized the Australian tennis federation for the event's scheduling conflict with the Fed Cup semifinal," according to the SID. The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is scheduled for April 21-27. The Fed Cup semifinal between Germany and Australia will take place in Brisbane on April 19-20. Stuttgart Operating Tournament Dir Anke Huber said, "We hoped that we could play on Friday and Saturday. But the federation didn't want that. Maybe they thought it would keep some German players from traveling to Australia." The German Tennis Federation (DTB) "even tried to buy the hosting rights from the Australian federation" because German Fed Cup players Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki "draw top crowds at the tournament in Stuttgart" (SID, 3/19).