STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Elena Rybakina eased to her third title of the season on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix.
Rybakina, the world No. 4-ranked player who defeated top-ranked Iga Świątek in the semifinals, saved the three break points she faced and took four from six opportunities to win in 1 hour, 9 minutes.
It’s Rybakina’s tour-leading 26th win of the year. The Stuttgart title comes after wins in Adelaide and Abu Dhabi this season. The Kazakh player’s previous clay-court wins were in Rome in 2023 and Bucharest in 2019.
The 27th-ranked Kostyuk was under pressure from the start as Rybakina broke her serve and sealed the first set in just 30 minutes.
Kostyuk had surprised herself with her run to the final, including three consecutive wins over top-10 players Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff and Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. Kostyuk saved five match points against Zheng in the round of 16.
It was Kostyuk’s third final. She won her maiden title in Austin last year, and was runner-up in San Diego last month.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
LeBron James UNFOLLOWS Diddy on Instagram after video of assault on ex
Activist in Tunisia arrested as conditions for migrants and their advocates worsen
Seeds from China's space station applied in breeding experiments
IF starring Ryan Reynolds lands at the top of a lackluster box office with less
Real Madrid rallies late to beat Bayern 2
Jon Bon Jovi's son 'MARRIED!' Jesse Bongiovi 'ties the knot' with Jesse Light in Las Vegas
Indiana GOP governor nominee Mike Braun announces his choice for lieutenant governor
What will Utah's NHL team be called? Here are 20 options
Pregnancy app used by the NHS accused of 'imposing gender ideology'
China's exports and imports return to growth in April as demand improves