Elena Rybakina defeated Karolina Muchova 7-5, 6-1 to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart on Sunday. The Kazakh player finally drove her prize Porsche herself this year, unlike in 2024 when she lacked a driver's license. This victory marks her 13th WTA singles title.
Elena Rybakina, the top seed at the Stuttgart Open, secured her second Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title by beating Karolina Muchova in straight sets on Sunday. The match lasted one hour and 18 minutes, with Rybakina overcoming a competitive first set before dominating the second. This win broke her streak of 12 titles across 12 different tournaments, making Stuttgart her first repeat victory. It also boosted her to the top of the Race to Riyadh standings ahead of Aryna Sabalenka and strengthened her World No. 2 ranking. She improved her career finals record to 13-12 and became the fourth active player with five or more WTA titles on multiple surfaces, alongside Venus Williams, Elina Svitolina, and Iga Swiatek. Rybakina's path included a tough quarterfinal against Leylah Fernandez, where she saved two match points in a three-hour battle. She opened with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Diana Shnaider. In 2024, she had won the title by defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2 but could not drive the traditional Porsche prize, sitting in the passenger seat instead. This time, after earning her license in the offseason, she posed with her new yellow Porsche and drove it on court herself. During the post-match press conference, Rybakina reflected on the moment. 'Yeah, two years ago it was a pity that I had to go in the passenger seat instead of driving the car,' she said with a smile. 'No, I will definitely keep it, enjoy the car.' She added that her team and family would share it, though her tour schedule limits driving time.
