At a glance
- Karolina Muchova defeats Elina Svitolina in an exciting three-setter to reach the Stuttgart final for the first time.
- Elena Rybakina ends Mirra Andreeva’s winning run and is aiming for her second Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title.
- The finalists have met on three occasions – two have gone Karolina Muchova’s way.
- In the doubles final, top seeds Jelena Ostapenko and Shuai Zhang will take on Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Liudmila Samsonova.
The final promises tennis of the highest quality. In front of another capacity 4,400 crowd in the Porsche Arena on Saturday, Karolina Muchova dug very deep to qualify for her first final in Stuttgart. She beat Elina Svitolina 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in two hours 14 minutes. The world No. 12 had to go the distance once again, but held her nerve when it mattered most. At 4-4 in the decider, she earned the crucial break and soon afterwards converted her first match point with an ace. “It’s so nice to play here in a sold-out Porsche Arena,” said Muchova who on Sunday can become the third Czech winner in the Porsche Arena after Karolina Pliskova in 2018 and Petra Kvitova in 2019. Her tactics were spot on saying: “I tried to vary things again and again to avoid long rallies.” And even though her full focus was on the match, the sight of the winner’s car was never far away: “Having that car in view on court is a very special motivation.”
Karolina Muchova will meet top seed Elena Rybakina in Sunday’s final. The reigning Australian Open champion came through 7-5, 6-1 against Mirra Andreeva. After her dramatic quarterfinal on Friday, the world No. 2 and 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix winner looked far more settled and, after a close first set, increasingly found her rhythm. “The first set was tight, but my serve worked well in the important moments,” said the Kazakh. “In the second set, I played more freely and I’m very happy with my performance.” The short recovery time after the previous evening’s three-set thriller was not a problem for her. “I was able to sleep in today, so I was feeling great,” she said, adding with a smile when looking ahead to the final that there is definitely still room in her garage for another winner’s car from Stuttgart.
Jelena Ostapenko has a chance to secure another Stuttgart title
The line-up in the doubles final is also complete. USA‘s Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Liudmila Samsonova came through the first semifinal 6-2, 4-6, 10-5 against the Australian-Dutch pairing of Ellen Perez and Demi Schuurs. In the second semifinal, top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and her Chinese partner Shuai Zhang reached the final with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Ulrikke Eikeri (Norway) and Quinn Gleason (USA). It gives Jelena Ostapenko the chance to claim another title in Stuttgart after winning the singles last year. The doubles final will be played on Sunday after the singles.
Saturday’s results
Semifinals, singles
[7] K. Muchova (CZE) def [4] E. Svitolina (UKR) 6-4,2-6, 6-4
[1] E. Rybakina (KAZ) def [6] M. Andreeva 7-5, 6-1
Semifinals, doubles
[4] N. Melichar-Martinez (USA)/L. Samsonova def [2] E. Perez (AUS)/D. Schuurs (NED) 6-2, 4-6, 10-5
[1] J. Ostapenko (LAT)/S. Zhang (CHN) def U. Eikeri (NOR)/Q. Gleason (USA) 6-3, 7-5
Schedule, Sunday
Centre Court
Starting at 12:30 hrs
Performance by the Stuttgarter Ballet
Starting at 13.00 hrs
Final, singles
[1] E. Rybakina (KAZ) vs [7] K. Muchova (CZE)
Final, doubles
[1] J. Ostapenko (LAT)/S. Zhang (CHN) vs [4] N. Melichar-Martinez (USA)/L. Samsonova
Porsche in tennis
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is the flagship of the Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG‘s worldwide involvement in women’s tennis. First played in 1978, the Stuttgart WTA tournament stands for tradition and innovation, just like the Porsche brand. As the most loyal sponsor of women’s international tennis, Porsche has accompanied the WTA’s oldest indoor event right from the start. Porsche has also been a premium partner of the “Deutsche Tennis Bund” (DTB – German Tennis Association) since 2012 and is committed to fostering up-and-coming players in the Porsche Talent Team.
