Rybakina and Muchova reach Stuttgart final as top seeds continue to fall
Karolina Muchova edged out Elina Svitolina 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 on Saturday afternoon. She’ll play the winner of the match between Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the top seed, and Russian Mirra Andreeva, the No 6 seed, in the final
Elena Rybaklina, Stuttgart 2026 | © Imago / PsNewz
Elena Rybakina, the top seed, and Karolina Muchova, the No 7 seed, will contest Sunday’s final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix after both reached the championship match in straight sets on Saturday on the indoor clay of Stuttgart.
Rybakina, ranked No 2, dismantled Russian Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-1 to reach her second Stuttgart final, extending her winning streak at the Porsche Arena to seven matches. The Kazakh was dominant in a semi-final that belied the quality Andreeva had shown all week, including a quarter-final upset of No 3 seed Iga Swiatek.
Rybakina’s win was her 38th against a top-10 opponent and her seventh of 2026 alone — she has now won 14 of her last 16 matches against top-10 players, with both defeats coming against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka. It is her 25th career final, her third of 2026, and her 24th win of the year. The result also moves her back to the top of the WTA Race.
Rybakina about the car : “This one I don’t have”
“This one I don’t have,” Rybakina said of the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet on offer to the winner, when presented with the prize at courtside. “That’s great motivation right on the court. Whenever you’re not focused or maybe frustrated you just need to look at the cars and set a goal and try to do the best.”
She was equally composed about the final: “It’s most important to recover and we’ll see what’s gonna happen. I’ll try to do my best and hope to see you guys.”
Muchova, ranked No 12, earned her place in her first Stuttgart final by beating Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, the No 4 seed, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in a match that swung back and forth before the Czech held her nerve in the decider. Earlier in the week, Muchova had eliminated No 2 seed Coco Gauff 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the quarter-finals, continuing a run that also included wins over Elise Mertens and Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
The final pits the 2024 Stuttgart champion against the player who leads their head-to-head 2-1, with Muchova also winning their most recent meeting earlier this year. They have never played on clay.
