Elena Rybakina secured her place in the championship match of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix with a straight‑sets victory over 18‑year‑old Mirra Andreeva, winning 7‑5, 6‑1 on Saturday afternoon in Stuttgart. The Kazakh‑born 2026 Australian Open champion will now meet Karolina Muchova in the Sunday final, a contest that will be broadcast live from midday on Sky Sports Tennis. The semi‑final proved to be a tightly contested affair in the opening set, as both competitors exchanged service breaks and fought for every point.
Andreeva, playing with the confidence of a rising teenager, managed to stay within striking distance, but Rybakina’s greater experience and composure eventually tipped the balance. After a series of long rallies and a few crucial break points, the veteran Russian‑Kazakh player edged ahead to claim the first set 7‑5, establishing a 1‑0 lead in the match.
Once she had taken the initial set, Rybakina turned the momentum decisively in her favor. She exploded out of the gate in the second set, capturing the first five games without reply. Her powerful groundstrokes, precise serve placement, and relentless court coverage left Andreeva scrambling for answers. The younger opponent struggled to find rhythm against the champion’s depth and variety, and the set soon slipped away, culminating in a 6‑1 finish that sealed Rybakina’s place in the final.
"It feels great, I'm super happy," Rybakina said in the post‑match interview. "I missed this tournament last year, so it means a lot to be back in the final." She also revealed that she had not been able to get to sleep until the early hours of Friday morning – around 2 a.m. – after a grueling three‑hour quarter‑final against Leylah Fernandez that tested her stamina and mental resilience.
"I'm pretty happy with the performance after a three‑hour match yesterday," she added, noting that she managed to rest enough to feel fresh for the semi‑final. Rybakina explained that she took advantage of a relaxed morning routine, a standard warm‑up, and a tactical discussion with her team before stepping onto the court. "I managed to sleep in and we did a regular warm‑up and we talked through the match.
I'm super happy. I will try to do my best and give all my energy tomorrow," she affirmed, emphasizing her determination to bring the same intensity to the final against Muchova.
The day’s action was not limited to the women’s draw. On Saturday, Italian youngster Flavio Cobolli produced a tear‑jerking performance to book his spot in the ATP 500 Munich final.
Cobolli dispatched world No. 3 Alexander Zverev with a convincing 6‑3, 6‑3 win, marking his first triumph over a top‑five opponent on the tour. The 23‑year‑old fired an impressive 32 winners while committing only eight service errors, a testament to his aggressive baseline play and poise under pressure. Cobolli’s victory set up a Sunday showdown against American Ben Shelton, scheduled for a 2 p.m.
start on Sky Sports Tennis. The Italian, who already claimed an ATP 500 title in Acapulco earlier in the year, is eager to add a second tour trophy to his résumé.
"It was one of my best matches ever, against one of my best friends on Tour," Cobolli reflected, highlighting the camaraderie that exists among players. "He's a really good guy and we have a good relationship with everyone on his team, so it was a little bit tough to play against him. But today I think I played one of my best matches, and I'm really happy about my performance." Cobolli’s achievement also placed him among an elite trio of players this season who have reached ATP Tour finals on both clay and hard courts, joining the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The win propelled him to 12th in the live ATP rankings, intensifying his pursuit of a fourth tour title and a third at the ATP 500 level after his maiden victory in Bucharest last year.
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