Iga Swiatek's bid for third successive title ended by Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina ended the indomitable Iga Swiatekâs treble bid with victory in the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
The world number one was on a 10-match winning streak at the tournament having defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final the past two years but former Wimbledon champion Rybakina prevailed 6-3 4-6 6-3.
It is a fifth final of the season for Rybakina, who won titles in Adelaide and Abu Dhabi but was beaten to the trophy in Doha and Miami.
Swiatek made a strong start and had points for a 3-0 lead but Rybakina dug in and began to dictate things with her powerful game.
Swiatek broke serve to force a decider but a run of three straight games for Rybakina from 2-1 down set her on the way to victory.
The Kazakh said: "I'm really happy. I was coming without any expectations, I just wanted to show good game and happy that it went my way and I'm getting closer to the Porsche."
For the trophy, and the coveted prize of a Porsche – though Rybakina revealed on court she does not have a driving license – she will take on Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, who continued her brilliant start to 2024 by defeating Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-6(2) 6-2.
Kostyuk, who had beaten Zheng Qinwen and Coco Gauff in her previous two matches, recovered from letting a 5-1 lead slip in the opening set.