Rybakina beats Andreeva to set up Stuttgart final against Muchova

STUTTGART: Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina advanced to the Stuttgart final on Saturday after defeating teenager Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-1, setting up a title clash with Karolina Muchova.

Rybakina, the top seed, recovered well from a late finish in Friday’s quarter-final against Leylah Fernandez and moved into her third final of the year. The opening set was closely contested before Rybakina secured the decisive break when Andreeva was serving to take the set into a tie-break.

Andreeva had arrived in the semi-final in strong form, carrying a 7-0 record on clay this season and coming off a title win in Linz last week. But after edging the first set, Rybakina took control of the match and raced to a 5-0 lead in the second before completing the win in 77 minutes.

Reflecting on the match, Rybakina said, First set, we were going pretty even. I had some opportunities to go up but didn't take them. But I'm happy that in these important moments, my serve worked and I stayed aggressive. Then in the second set being up, I was more free to hit, to step in, to play even more aggressive. So I'm pretty happy with the performance. It was really solid. And I guess the three-hour match yesterday, it did help me today.

Rybakina, who was runner-up at Indian Wells last month, will now have the opportunity on Sunday to reclaim the Stuttgart title she won two years ago. The tournament winner also receives a Porsche sports car, the traditional prize for the champion in Stuttgart.

Muchova comes through three-set semi-final

Earlier on Saturday, Muchova defeated Elina Svitolina 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to book her place in the final. The world number 12 will contest the first 500-level final of her career as she seeks a third WTA title.

Muchova, the runner-up at Roland Garros in 2023, took the first set by converting both of her break-point chances against the Ukrainian. Svitolina responded strongly in the second set, breaking Muchova three times as the seventh seed struggled on serve.

The decisive moment came in the ninth game of the final set, when Muchova broke Svitolina to move ahead 5-4. That proved enough to settle the contest, as Muchova then served out the match to love and finished it with an ace out wide.

The final will now pit Rybakina against Muchova, with Rybakina aiming to add another Stuttgart title to her record and Muchova looking to capture the biggest 500-level crown of her career.