Rybakina takes down Swiatek to reach Stuttgart final in clash of WTA heavyweights
The Kazakh beat the world No 1 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. She’ll play the winner of the match between Marta Kostyuk and Marketa Vondrousova in the final
Elena Rybakina beats Swiatek to reach the final of the 2024 Stuttgart Open Imago / Panoramic
Elena Rybakina has ended Iga Swiatek‘s dominance at the Stuttgart Open, defeating the top-seeded Pole 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 at the Porsche-Arena to reach her first final at the tournament.
Swiatek was on a ten-match winning streak in Stuttgart, having never suffered a loss in the German city. But Rybakina has been a constant thorn in the side of the world No 1 over the past 18 months, winning four of their five encounters during this period.
Today, the big-serving Kazakh showed once again why she is one of the most dangerous players on the planet, outhitting Swiatek on her favoured clay courts to record another notable victory against her WTA rival and hand the Pole her first loss in a clay-court semi-final match.
Rybakina also re-establishes her authority in their head-to-head, extending her winning record to 4-2 after Swiatek had halved the deficit earlier in the season by winning the final in Doha.
Swiatek came sprinting out of the blocks with typically ferocious hitting off both wings, breaking Rybakina’s serve in the very first game before holding her own to move 2-0 up early on.
The Kazakh quickly found her range, however, with her trademark flat, heavy hitting pinning Swiatek further behind the baseline as she struck back to level the score at 2-2.
When operating at its full capability, as they were today, Rybakina’s serve and forehand combinations are simply breathtaking. She broke again in the sixth game en route to powering her way to a 5-2 lead as the two-time champion seemed overawed by the consistent depth and heaviness of the Kazakh’s ball-striking.
Rybakina did squander four set points as Swiatek served to stay in the set at 5-2 down, but it was of little consequence for the world No 4 as her booming one-two punch took the racquet out of Swiatek’s hands and sealed a comfortable opening-set win in 49 minutes.
swiatek fights back in second set, but rybakina holds firm in the decider
The Pole raised her level at the start of the second, earning three consecutive break points as she moved 0-40 up on her opponent’s serve in the third game. But the implacable Rybakina responded in emphatic fashion, serenely saving all three with typically potent serving to snuff out the chance for an early break for the world No 1.
However, Swiatek pounced when offered the opportunity in the tenth and final game of the second stanza, as a loose service game from Rybakina brought up a set point for her opponent. Swiatek made the most of a cautious second serve to seal the set and send the match into a decider.
Rybakina could not convert any of the five break points she generated on Swiatek’s serve in the third game of the final set, after exerting extreme pressure on the world No 1.
Having taken two of her opening three break points in the match, Rybakina saw 14 further chances to break pass her by before finally making the breakthrough in the fifth game of the decider.
That break proved crucial, as Rybakina held serve for the remainder of the contest in the face of some significant pressure from her opponent, before breaking for a fourth and final time to seal a memorable win on her second match point.
“It was, like always, a very tough match,” Rybakina said in her on-court interview.
“I think my serve helped me a lot in the important moments… It was such a close match.
“We both like to dominate in the points… she has a really good kick (serve). Same for me, I have a good serve. So it was kind of a battle of who starts the rally better and who can dominate.
“It’s always tough to play her. We push each other. Really happy today I managed to win.”
Rybakina and swiatek’s fascinating rivalry takes another twist in stuttgart
Rybakina generated a massive 20 break points in the match. She was only able to take four of those, but given how fiercely Swiatek defended her own serve, it was going to take consistent pressure from the Kazakh for her to come out on top today.
That is exactly what she did. Her reward is a win over the world No 1 on her best surface and at a tournament where she’d never previously been beaten.
It is a significant moment in the ever-burgeoning rivalry between Rybakina and Swiatek, as the Kazakh sends another stark reminder to the world No 1 that she will continue to steal match wins from her, regardless of the surface or the tournament they play.
This one will sting for Swiatek. But she can expect to have another shot at revenge before this year’s clay-court season is out. The pair are the WTA’s leading players in 2024, and will likely meet again at the business end of a big tournament soon.
Before then, however, Rybakina has the small matter of her first Stuttgart Open final, where she will meet either Marta Kostyuk or reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
