On April 21, world No. 4 Elena Rybakina captured her third title of the season after defeating No. 27 Marta Kostyuk 6:2, 6:2 in the final of the Stuttgart Open, a WTA 500 tournament in Germany, QazMonitor reports citing WTA.
What happened: On her path to the third title in 2024 and her first Stuttgart title, Rybakina defeated Veronika Kudermetova (7:6, 1:6, 6:4), Jasmine Paolini (6:3, 5:7, 6:3), and two-time champion of the competition, world No.1 Iga Swiatek (3:6, 6:4, 3:6).
Stuttgart is Rybakina's eighth career title and third on clay, following wins at 2023 Rome and 2019 Bucharest. The 24-year-old leaves Germany with the outright lead in titles this season, adding Stuttgart to a collection that includes Brisbane and Abu Dhabi. The victory over Kostyuk was her tour-leading 26th win of the season.
Rybakina leaves Stuttgart as the season leader in titles (3), finals (5), and WTA match wins (26). She is now the only player on tour to have beaten the world No. 1, Iga Swiatek, and No. 2, Aryna Sabalenka, this season.
The Kazakh player won $123,480 in prize money for her third WTA 500 of the season and a Porsche Taycan 4S with the opportunity for full customization.
"I always believe in myself, of course, but it's not only depends on me. There is a lot of great players, tough opponents. But I know if I feel fresh, if I'm physically ready, healthy, I'm playing my game, of course I have all the chances to win a Grand Slam on any surface,"