(Munich) The Polish Iga Swiatek, world No.1 and double title holder at Roland-Garros, lost on Saturday against the world No.4, the Kazakh Elena Rybakina, in the semi-finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart, first important meeting of the season on clay.
After an intense fight lasting almost three hours (2:49), Rybakina won in three sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, to inflict on Swiatek her first defeat in three appearances, after coronations in 2022 and 2023 against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
PHOTO MARIJAN MURAT, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Iga Swiatek
Rybakina will face in the final the winner of the second semi-final between the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, 27e world, and the Czech Marketa Vondrousova, winner in Melbourne of the first Grand Slam of the season.
Winner of Wimbledon in 2022 and finalist of the Australian Open in 2023, Rybakina remains an opponent who poses a problem for Swiatek, since she now leads 4 to 2 in the confrontations against the queen of clay, three-time winner of Roland- Garros (2020, 2022 and 2023).
Rybakina notably eliminated Swiatek last year at the Masters 1000 in Rome on clay in the quarter-finals, after the Pole retired in the third set, and in the round of 16 of the Australian Open in 2023. This season, Swiatek won the final in Doha on hard court.
“It was a very complicated match. My service has helped me a lot in difficult times. I’m really happy to have won,” stressed Rybakina after the match.