Rybakina reclaims Stuttgart crown and leads the WTA Race opening the clay seaon
Elena Rybakina (No 1 seed, world No 2) beat Karolina Muchova (No 7 seed) 7-5, 6-1 to win her second Stuttgart title and 13th career title, extending her winning streak at the Porsche Arena to eight matches.
Elena Rybalina, Stuttgart 2026 | © Marijan Murat/DPA/SIPA
Elena Rybakina, the top seed, claimed her second Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title by defeating Czech Karolina Muchova, the No 7 seed, 7-5, 6-1 on Sunday in Stuttgart – a final that told you everything you need to know about where Rybakina stands right now.
The Kazakh, ranked No 2, was merciless. After a tight opening set she imposed her serve and baseline weight with increasing authority, taking ten of the last eleven games to close out the championship in a manner that left Muchova without answers.
It was her eighth consecutive win at the Porsche Arena, her 13th career title and her second of 2026, following her Australian Open triumph in January. She has now won 36 of her last 41 matches.
Rybakina leading the WTA Race
In the quarter-finals against Canadian Leylah Fernandez, a three-hour match that ended close to midnight on Friday, Rybakina stared down two match points before edging through 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (6). She showed no trace of that ordeal against Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals, nor any in the final.
Muchova, ranked No 12, had every reason to believe she could spoil the party. The Czech beat No 2 seed Coco Gauff and No 4 seed Elina Svitolina in consecutive matches to reach her first Stuttgart final, and arrived holding a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Rybakina, including a win in Brisbane in January. Sunday was their first meeting on clay.
The 500 ranking points from the title push Rybakina to 3,983 points in the WTA Race, moving her 183 points clear of world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who holds 3,800.
It is a statement that lands differently when you have just become the fourth active female player to claim five or more titles on multiple surfaces, alongside Venus Williams, Elina Svitolina and Iga Swiatek.
