
Rybakina books third final of 2026 after seeing off Andreeva in Stuttgart semis
Elena Rybakina shrugged off any lingering tiredness to brush aside Mirra Andreeva and reach the Stuttgart Open final in straight sets.
Rybakina, who is through to her third showpiece of 2026 so far, took three hours to edge past Leylah Fernandez on Friday, but she rallied to a 7-5 6-1 win over Andreeva in 77 minutes.
The pair were evenly matched in the first set, with Andreeva defending the first two break points she faced, though Rybakina struck first to take a 4-2 lead.
Andreeva immediately cut out that advantage, but she was unable to force a tie-break, with Rybakina taking the lead with her first set point.
The Russian could not find any rhythm in the second set, with Rybakina reeling off the first five games in a row. Though Andreeva pulled a game back, the top seed held to love to book her place in the final.
"First set, we were going pretty even," Rybakina said in her on-court interview.
"I had some opportunities to go up, but didn't take them. But I'm happy that in these important moments, my serve worked and I stayed aggressive. Then, in the second set being up, I was more free to hit, to step in, to play even more aggressive.
"So, I'm pretty happy with the performance. It was really solid."
To the FINALS!!!
— wta (@WTA) April 18, 2026
Elena Rybakina soars into the Stuttgart final defeating Andreeva in straight sets!#PorscheTennis pic.twitter.com/S1jS0wW92s
Rybakina will face Karolina Muchova for the trophy on Sunday, after the Czech overcame Elina Svitolina in three sets earlier on Saturday.
Muchova triumphed 6-4 2-6 6-4 in two hours and 16 minutes, recovering from a disappointing second set to win the decider.
Data Debrief: Rybakina on a roll
Rybakina has won one (Australian Open) and lost one (Indian Wells) of her finals so far this year, and she will be looking to add to her trophy haul with a second title in Stuttgart, having previously triumphed in 2024.
It was a fairly tight encounter at the start, but Rybakina's ruthlessness prevailed – she converted four of her 10 break points – while she was also strong on serve, winning 83% of her first-serve points (29/35).











