Linz tournament unveils custom Swarovski trophy

The champion at the Upper Austria Ladies' Linz will be shining bright with Swarovski. The storied event, which was recently upgraded to WTA 500 status for this year's edition, now has a new custom, gold trophy to match that prestige.

This year's champion will leave the tournament with a stunning piece of unique craftsmanship from the Austrian crystal maison, in a first for the tournament and brand. The trophy stands at nearly 2 feet high, weighs nearly 8 pounds, and is topped with a golden tennis ball which features 8,100 hand-set Swarovski crystals.

The trophy's debut earned rave reviews on social media, including from player-turned-broadcaster Barbara Schett-Eagle, Austria's former Top 10 player who also serves as the tournament ambassador.

"We are thrilled to present our winner with this magnificent and unique trophy, she said. "It is a first on the tennis tour and the players will love it. Swarovski is an incredible global brand, and it makes me very proud that it is Austrian. I love what they are able to create with crystals: the sparkle is incredible, and I can just imagine how the trophy will shimmer beautifully when the Centre Court is darkened during the winner's ceremony."

In addition, Swarovski will present a Millenia necklace to a special guest and tennis legend, as well as 70 Matrix tennis bracelets to all competitors in the field.

First held in 1987, Austria's flagship event announced in October that it would be upgraded from a WTA 250 in 2024. Jelena Ostapenko and Ekaterina Alexandrova are the top seeds in this year's field, which also features Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Donna Vekic, recent Australian Open semifinalist Dayana Yastremska, and former world No. 1 Angelique Kerber.