STUTTGART, Germany – Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina dominated the Stuttgart Open final on Sunday, defeating Karolina Muchova 7-5, 6-1 to capture her second championship at the prestigious tournament and earn another luxury Porsche automobile.
The top-seeded player secured her second tournament victory of 2024, but it was the traditional automotive prize that seemed to excite Rybakina most. After winning her first Porsche in 2024, she was motivated to obtain her driver’s license, and she beamed with joy as she drove her newly-earned second sports car down the ramp before positioning it on the tournament’s signature red clay court.
This triumph places Rybakina among tennis elite, as she becomes only the fourth current player to capture at least five WTA titles across different court surfaces, joining the exclusive ranks of Venus Williams, Elina Svitolina, and Iga Swiatek.
“It’s an amazing tournament, we love coming back here… It really feels like home and you just want to come back every year,” Rybakina expressed after her victory.
“Super happy for the second win here in Stuttgart and this beautiful car,” she added.
The match began with Rybakina establishing early control, racing to a commanding 3-0 advantage in the first set through powerful, attacking tennis while Muchova remained primarily on defense.
Rybakina’s first serve proved nearly impossible to handle, constantly forcing Muchova into defensive positions. The Australian Open champion also demonstrated skillful net approaches, compelling her Czech rival to scramble across the entire court.
Muchova demonstrated fighting spirit by mounting a comeback from a 5-2 deficit to tie the set at 5-5. Yet when attempting to push the set to a tiebreaker, crucial mistakes emerged, allowing Rybakina to seize the opening set as Muchova’s return flew beyond the baseline.
This momentum shift energized Rybakina for the second set, where she dominated by winning five straight games – similar to her commanding semifinal performance against Mirra Andreeva – before Muchova managed to win a game.
When serving for the championship, Rybakina finished in impressive fashion, completing a love service game to secure her tour-leading 25th victory of the season in just 78 minutes.
“Elena, honestly, too good. You played really well,” Muchova acknowledged during the post-match ceremony.
“I tried to stop you, but you clearly wanted a Porsche for the second time really bad. So, (you) made it very tough for me. Congrats!” she concluded.
