Elena Rybakina captured her third title of the year at the Stuttgart Open, defeating Marta Kostyuk with ease, 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday. The fourth-seeded player from Kazakhstan started strong, breaking Kostyuk to love in the very first game and swiftly taking the first set by repeating the break to clinch it at 5-2. She then held her own serve to love, further establishing her dominance in the match.
Kostyuk, an unseeded Ukrainian, appeared overwhelmed as Rybakina broke her serve again at the start of the second set, visibly struggling as the match progressed. Despite a brief glimmer of hope when she earned her only break points of the match while trailing 3-2 in the second set, Kostyuk couldn’t capitalize and looked visibly distraught, missing out on the chance for a turnaround.
“If there was to be a comeback, this was Kostyuk’s chance,” reflected the situation, with the young player nearly in tears after failing to convert three critical break points. Her frustration was palpable as she frequently glanced towards her coach in the stands.
Rybakina maintained her form, holding serve and then breaking again to make it 5-2, setting herself up to serve for the match. Unlike her semi-final victory over world number one Iga Swiatek, where she fired 10 aces, Rybakina didn’t rely on aces to finish off Kostyuk.
With this victory, Rybakina adds the Stuttgart Open title to her 2024 successes at the Brisbane International and Abu Dhabi Open. For Kostyuk, it marked her second final loss of the year, following a defeat at the San Diego Open in March.
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