Swiatek's Stuttgart hat-trick bid halted by Rybakina as Kostyuk defeats Vondrousova to advance to the final

On Saturday, world number one Iga Swiatek's bid to win a third consecutive Stuttgart Open title was dashed by Elena Rybakina in an enthralling 6-3 4-6 6-3 semi-final.

Rybakina ended Swiatek's perfect record in Stuttgart, handing the Pole her first defeat in 11 matches, and the Kazakhstani fourth seed will face Marta Kostyuk in the final.

"It was, like always a very tough match and I was fighting for every ball, it was such a close match," Rybakina said.

"I'm really happy that I managed to win and I showed a good game."

Swiatek started well, breaking serve in the first game and holding to take a 2-0 lead, but 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina then won five games in a row, breaking twice, to close out the first set with four aces.

The second set went with serve for the first nine games as Swiatek saved two break points in the first game of the second set, and Rybakina hit four more aces before Swiatek broke in the tenth game to win the set and force the decider.

Rybakina threatened early in the third set, with Swiatek saving five break points to maintain a 2-1 lead, but Rybakina broke through to make it 3-2 and hit another ace to save a break point and hold the next game.

At 4-2, Swiatek rallied to serve to love and had a break point to tie the set, but Rybakina held on and broke again to advance to the final.

"It was kind of a battle who starts the rally, who starts to dominate, but it's always tough to break against Iga, we push each other and I'm really happy that today I managed to win," Rybakina said.

Unseeded Kostyuk defeated Czech sixth seed Marketa Vondrousova 7-6(2), 6-2. The Ukrainian raced ahead 5-1 in the first set, but Vondrousova battled back to force a tiebreak.

Kostyuk regained her composure to dominate the tiebreak, and when she took a 5-1 lead in the second set, there was no coming back for last year's Wimbledon champion Vondrousova.

Rybakina will compete in her fifth final of the year, after winning the Brisbane International and the Abu Dhabi Open. She finished runner-up at the Miami and Qatar Opens.

Kostyuk, who lost to Swiatek in the semi-finals of Indian Wells, reached the final of the San Diego Open in March.

The winner of Sunday's final will receive a Porsche as well as a cash prize, but for Rybakina this may create a problem.

""I still don't have a driver's license so that's going to be the goal," she joked after beating Swiatek.

SportsLigue