Elena Rybakina, the tournament’s top seed from Kazakhstan, dominated her semifinal match against sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva with a 7-5, 6-1 victory on Saturday, securing her spot in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix championship match in Stuttgart, Germany.
The Kazakhstani player will meet Czech Republic’s seventh-seeded Karolina Muchova in Sunday’s title match. Muchova earned her place in the final by defeating fourth-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in a competitive three-set battle.
Rybakina, fresh off her 2026 Australian Open championship and Indian Wells final appearance, traded early service breaks with the Russian Andreeva before seizing control late in the opening set, claiming four out of five points during Andreeva’s service game to take the set. The second set proved one-sided as Rybakina dominated both her own first serves and Andreeva’s second serve attempts, capturing 21 of 25 total points in those situations.
The Muchova-Svitolina semifinal appeared headed for a tight finish until the Czech player closed out the match with authority, taking the final eight points including four consecutive points while Svitolina served in the ninth game. This victory sets up the fourth career encounter between Muchova and Rybakina, with the Czech player holding a 2-1 advantage in their previous meetings, including a quarterfinal win at Brisbane in January.
At the Rouen Metropolitan Open in France, Ukraine’s top-seeded Marta Kostyuk advanced to the final with a commanding 6-3, 6-0 victory over Germany’s Tatjana Maria.
Kostyuk will face fellow Ukrainian teenager Veronika Podrez, who reached the final when Romania’s Sonia Cirstea withdrew from their scheduled semifinal due to a leg injury. Kostyuk successfully defended against all four break point opportunities created by the 38-year-old German opponent, while Maria struggled to handle Kostyuk’s aggressive style, losing 32 of her 43 service points for a 74.4% loss rate.
The 19-year-old Podrez earned her semifinal berth by defeating notable opponents including Sloane Stephens, Italy’s seventh-seeded Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and Great Britain’s Katie Boulter. Kostyuk enters the final seeking her second WTA championship and first since capturing the Austin, Texas title in 2023.
