Karolina Muchova held off Elina Svitolina 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, continuing a strong clay-court run with another composed three-set win. The Czech world No. 12 needed 2 hours, 14 minutes to get through a tense semifinal and move into her second final of 2026.
Muchova made the sharper start, racing into a 3-0 lead and taking the opening set after converting both of her break-point chances. She mixed serve, touch, and net play effectively early on, forcing Svitolina out of rhythm and putting the Ukrainian on the defensive.
Svitolina responded in the second set, and the match swung on a marathon second game that featured 10 deuces and 25 points. Muchova saved six break points in that game, but Svitolina finally broke through, settled from the baseline, and rode that momentum to a 5-1 lead before forcing a decider.
The third set was tight throughout, with both players trading steady holds until 4-4. That was where Muchova found the opening. She earned break point with a clever combination of a drop shot and lob, then attacked Svitolina’s second serve with a forehand to seize the break for 5-4. Serving for the match, she closed it out to love and finished with an ace out wide.
The victory was Muchova’s first over Svitolina after three previous losses and sends her into a title match where she will chase the third trophy of her career. She is scheduled to face either top seed Elena Rybakina or 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva in Sunday’s final.
