Tennis
Rybakina eases past Muchova in Stuttgart to win same title for the first time in her career
For the first time in her career, Elena Rybakina won the same title again. On Sunday, Rybakina defeated Karolina Muchova 7-5, 6-1 to win the 2026 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Rybakina, the 2024 champion, began her career with 12 titles in 12 different tournaments but she broke pattern on Sunday by winning the 2026 edition of the tournament.
Her path to the trophy wasn’t exactly smooth. Rybakina finished the week with three straight-sets victories, but in between those routine wins she had to save two match points in a three-hour quarterfinal thriller against Leylah Fernandez just to reach the semifinals.
By week’s end, though, the World No. 2 was back to operating at full strength, closing out the tournament with authority to secure her 13th WTA singles title and second of 2026. She improved to 13-12 in finals in her career.
“Thank you to all the sponsors and everyone who made this tournament possible,” Rybakina said during the trophy presentation. “It really feels like home, and you just want to come back every year.”
Rybakina’s triumph gives her six WTA 500 titles and five titles on clay. The two-time Grand Slam champion also owns two WTA 1000 trophies and a WTA Finals crown.
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The final was strikingly similar to Rybakina’s semifinal win over Mirra Andreeva. In that match, she broke early to build a first-set lead, was broken back, and found herself level at 5-5 before winning the last two games to take the set.
Against Muchova, an early break helped her build a 5-2 lead in the opening set. Muchova held and then broke for 5-4 as Rybakina served for the set, then leveled at 5-all, before Rybakina again claimed the final two games to close out the set.
Karolina Muchova is set to rise to World No. 11 as she continues knocking on the door of a return to the Top 10
“I was trying to read her serve, and in the beginning everything worked. I think her percentage was not maybe as high,” Rybakina told the media. “Then she started to serve a bit better, harder, and even knowing where the ball is coming and it was kind of on the racquet, but I was missing the shots. So, it went pretty tight in the first set,” she added.
“In the second, I was just trying to be more solid. I think the return improved. I was managing to see where she was gonna serve,” Rybakina said.
Against Andreeva, Rybakina won eight of the last nine games to reach the final. Against Muchova, she won eight of the last nine games to capture the trophy.
The victory strengthens Rybakina’s hold on to No. 2 in the WTA singles rankings, but perhaps more notably, it will move her into the top spot in the Race to Riyadh, nudging her ahead of Aryna Sabalenka for now.
It’s prime positioning heading into the Madrid-Rome-Roland Garros stretch. A few positions behind her in the race is Muchova, who is poised to hold serve at No. 5 after an impressive showing in Stuttgart. En route to the final, she defeated both Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina, opponents she entered the week a combined 0-9 against.
“It was a really good week for me,” Muchova said during her post-match press conference. “I beat players I have never beaten before. I had some tough battles. Of course, it could have been a little better… but I have to give credit to Elena. I think she played really well, really fast. I was probably a little bit tired from the last two matches that I played here, but all credit to her.”
Muchova, who reached her second final of the season after winning the title in Doha in February, is set to rise to World No. 11 as she continues knocking on the door of a return to the Top 10.
Nicole-Liudmila win doubles title
Meanwhile, in their first tournament together since the end of the 2025 season, Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Liudmila Samsonova won the doubles title in Stuttgart with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Jelena Ostapenko and Zhang Shuai.
“I think we were just focused on how to play, and play our best game, and not too stressed about the result,” Samsonova said.
It’s both players first doubles title of 2026, and their first since they last paired together back at Ningbo in October. Last season, they were each other’s primary doubles partner, too.
“We know each other very well, and honestly we just enjoy it, and I think Liudmila deserves VIP for today’s match,” Nicole said.