'It’s a very big moment': Haddad Maia aims for another clay-court surge

Beatriz Haddad Maia was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1996, the year after countryman Gustavo Kuerten turned professional -- and the year before he lit up Paris by winning his first title at Roland Garros.

“Guga” Kuerten would be crowned French Open champion three times in five years, memorably carving a heart in the red clay on the way to his final win in 2001.

Stuttgart: Draws | Scores | Order of play | Tournament info

“All of us in Brazil, we grew up hearing about Roland Garros, hearing about Guga and the wins,” Haddad Maia told wtatennis.com on Monday from the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. “Most of the courts that we have are clay courts and we are more used to playing on this surface.

“I really like to play on clay. The ball bounces a little bit more. We have rallies. I can also play as a lefty. It’s a very big moment of the year that I can improve my game.”

She’ll be tested immediately Tuesday in Stuttgart with a featured night match against No. 7 seed Emma Navarro. How loaded is this field? That’s two Top 20 players going at it in a first-round match.

Haddad Maia holds off Navarro in Madrid third round

Haddad Maia, 30-25 for her career on clay, is hoping two months on European clay bring back the confidence that carried her so far last fall. Haddad Maia, 28, was a finalist in Cleveland, a quarterfinalist at the US Open and a champion at the WTA 500 event in Seoul, winning 12 of 14 matches in that span.

However, after advancing to the third round at the Australian Open in January, it’s been an ongoing struggle this year. Working hard, Haddad Maia insisted, is always the solution.

“There have been moments when I wasn’t playing my best tennis,” she said. “For me, the key was always to work hard, keep in the present, have a positive mentality as I have during my career.

“The mentality to try to be tough. Try to be myself. Controlling the things that I can control and not thinking to control things I can’t. I’m not like a genius person. I know that I need to work very hard to create opportunities.”

That’s precisely what happened in 2023, when Haddad Maia put together a remarkable run on red clay. After reaching the quarterfinals in Stuttgart, she matched that result in Rome -- and then crashed into the semifinals at Roland Garros. It was her best Grand Slam result to date.

Last year, Haddad Maia got to the quarters in Madrid -- beating Navarro along the way -- before losing a three-set match to Iga Swiatek.

In fact, Haddad Maia leads Navarro 2-1 in their head-to-head, and both of the Brazilian's wins came in the span of one month on red clay. Along with her win in Madrid last year, she also beat Navarro at 2024 Strasbourg.

There shouldn’t be any great surprises on Tuesday; Haddad Maia and Navarro sometimes practice together, most recently in Merida, Mexico back in February.

“For sure, is a tough match,” Haddad Maia said. “She had an amazing year last year. She came from college and it’s nice to see girls improving and pushing the level up.

“I will try to work very hard to bring my game and let’s see if it works again.”

Haddad Maia is currently No. 17 in the PIF WTA Rankings and her goal is to crack the Top 10 as she did two years ago after that final four appearance in Paris -- and stay healthy.

“Clay, it’s a very different game,” Haddad Maia said. “I have good feelings, good memories. I’m very excited for what is coming.”

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