STUTTGART – Elena Rybakina may have got the impetus needed to get her driving licence, after she saw off Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6,-2 to win the Stuttgart Open on April 21, her third title in 2024.
The event is sponsored by Porsche and the winner will receive a Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo electric car, and ahead of the final, the 24-year-old said if she won the tournament, it would be “good motivation” for her to fulfil a long-time goal of getting her driver’s licence.
Rybakina adds the Stuttgart title to her wins at the Brisbane International and the Abu Dhabi Open in 2024. It’s the first time the world No. 4 has won three WTA titles in one year.
For Kostyuk, this was her second final defeat of the year after she lost the decider of the San Diego Open in March.
“I want to congratulate Marta of course, been a great tournament, great matches you played here, you’re playing really amazing and hopefully we’ll play many more finals,” Rybakina said.
“The crowd, guys, it was an unbelievable week. It was nice to play every match here and fight. Your energy gives a lot during these tough matches.”
The Kazakhstani fourth seed broke to love in the opening game and cruised to the first set, breaking again to make it 5-2 and then holding to love.
Kostyuk had no answer and when her opponent broke serve once more in the first game of the second set, the unseeded Ukrainian cut a forlorn figure as she dropped to her knees.
Rybakina, who defeated world No. 1 and winner of the last two titles Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, suffered a slight wobble and Kostyuk forced her only break points over the course of the match when 3-2 down in the second set.
If there was to be a comeback, this was Kostyuk's chance, but the 21-year-old looked close to tears as she failed to take advantage of the three break points, constantly looking in frustration at her coach in the crowd.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, held serve then broke again to make it 5-2 to leave her serving for the match. After hitting 10 aces in her win over Swiatek, she did not need any to dismiss Kostyuk.
“It’s an amazing event and I hope to be back here every year, thank you,” Kostyuk said.
“I want to say how incredibly proud I am to see so many Ukrainian flags out here this week.”
While Kostyuk is just beginning to progress, former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza’s career has drawn to a close. The two-time Grand Slam winner announced her retirement from tennis on April 20, after more than a year without playing.
“It’s a decision that I’ve been taking little by little,” the 30-year-old told a press conference at the Laureus Awards.
“When I stopped competing, I returned home and I welcomed the break with open arms. Every day that went by I felt better and I didn’t miss the discipline and the difficulty of the life I had before, so it has been a progressive thing.”
Meanwhile, Norwegian Casper Ruud downed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-3 in the Barcelona Open final on April 21 to avenge his final loss to the Greek in the Monte Carlo Masters a week earlier.
And in Munich, Jan-Lennard Struff broke through at 33 for his first ATP singles title in his 218th tournament, beating American third seed Taylor Fritz 7-5, 6-3 in the final in Munich. REUTERS, AFP
