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Iga Swiatek's bid for third successive title ended by Elena Rybakina

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Elena Rybakina ended the indomitable Iga Swiatek’s 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.

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