Stuttgart sorts credential mix-up for Aryna Sabalenka ahead of clay debut

WATCH: Sabalenka may face Barbora Krejcikova for a fourth straight tournament in Stuttgart, having beaten her in both Indian Wells and Miami last month.

As the reigning Australian Open champion and No. 1 in the WTA Race rankings, Aryna Sabalenka can be forgiven for getting used to special treatment at tournaments, which made her Porche Tennis Grand Prix credential pick-up a comically shocking affair.

Lining up her badge with that of boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov, the world No. 2 couldn’t help but notice that, while he was effectively given an all-access pass, hers was relatively limited.

“Why he has more access than I do?” Sabalenka asked on her Instagram stories on Sunday.

With her opening-round match scheduled for later this week, the Stuttgart organizers nonetheless got to work to quickly remedy the situation, teasing the fix on their own Stories before revealing the final product on Monday.

“Do you like this one better?” asked the tournament’s official Instagram, displaying Sabalenka’s newly-minted all-access pass.

Koltsov, who previously had access to all 10 of the tournament’s restricted areas, saw his sphere of influence reduced to just three.

Reposting the image on her socials, Sabalenka returned with only one further edit.

“Give him back his access to the bar!!!” joked the No. 2 seed.

Sabalenka didn’t let the mix-up interrupt her clay-court preparation as the 2022 Stuttgart finalist was on court practicing with good friend Paula Badosa this afternoon.

Fresh off career-best finishes at both Indian Wells and Miami, she will face either Liudmila Samsonova or rival Barbora Krejcikova—whom she has faced at her last three tournaments, winning their last two at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open—to kick off her Porsche Tennis Grand Prix campaign.