Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina surged to a 7-5, 6-1 victory over teenager Mirra Andreeva on Saturday and will face Karolina Muchova for the title at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Rybakina shook off any lingering fatigue from a late finish in Friday’s quarter-final win over Leylah Fernandez to reach her third final of the year, closing out the 18-year-old Russian in one hour and 17 minutes on the indoor clay.
Top seed Rybakina snatched a tight opening set by breaking Andreeva, who had been 7-0 on clay this season and won the Linz title last week, as the Russian served to force a tie-break. The Kazakh then carried that momentum to sweep into a 5-0 lead in the second set before closing out victory.
“First set, we were going pretty even,” said Rybakina. “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 finished runner-up at Indian Wells last month, will have a chance on Sunday to regain the title she won in 2024 and drive off with a second Porsche sports car — the coveted prize awarded to the champion in Stuttgart.
Muchova books final spot
Muchova edged Elina Svitolina 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 earlier in the day to book her spot in the final, ending a 0-3 career deficit against the Ukrainian in the process.
The world number 12 will play the first 500-level final of her career as she goes in search of a third WTA title, having already lifted silverware in Doha earlier this season.
Muchova, the 2023 Roland Garros runner-up, got the edge over Svitolina to claim the opening set as she converted both break points she had against the Ukrainian.
The seventh seed’s serve deserted her somewhat in the next frame as Svitolina hit back by breaking Muchova three times to claim the second set.
The crucial moment in the decider came in the ninth game as Muchova pounced on Svitolina’s service game to get her nose in front at 5-4. That sole break was enough as Muchova then served out the match to love, sealing the deal with an ace out wide.
Head-to-head edge
Muchova holds a 2-1 advantage over Rybakina in their career meetings, with the pair most recently clashing in the Brisbane quarter-finals in January, which the Czech won in three sets. Sunday’s final will be their first encounter on clay.
