Elena Rybakina pours her heart out as she thanks her team, crowd and president of Kazakhstan federation for “unbelievable” support in Stuttgart

After lifting the title, Rybakina praised the Ukrainian for her game and expressed her wish to play against her in the future.

Elena Rybakina pours her heart out as she thanks her team, crowd and president of Kazakhstan federation for “unbelievable” support in Stuttgart

Elena Rybakina, Marta Kostyuk (Image via Imago)

It was easy for World No.4 Elena Rybakina to clinch the Stuttgart Open title by beating World No.27 Marta Kostyuk in the final. The match lasted for about an hour, in which the Kazakh star won with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-2.

After lifting the title, Rybakina praised the Ukrainian for her game and expressed her wish to play against her in the future. She also thanked all the people who supported her throughout her campaign, not forgetting to thank the crowd as well.

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Thank you so much. I want to congratulate Marta for a great tournament. You’re playing really amazing. Hopefully, we play many more finals. I want to thank my team. My coach Stefano and the president of the Kazakhstan federation for coming to support. The crowd, guys, it was unbelievable week. It was nice to play every match here and fight. Your energy gives a lot during these tough matches. Thank you so much.
Elena Rybakina said

Rybakina had momentum throughout the match and with her strong performance, the first set did not take more than 30 minutes to finish.

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Elena Rybakina lifted her third WTA title this year

Before the Stuttgart Open, Elena Rybakina became the champion in two WTA events– Brisbane International and the Abu Dhabi Open this year. In Brisbane, Rybakina faced Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka, beating her easily with a score of 6-0, 6-3. Then in the Abu Dhabi final, Rybakina again registered an easy win over Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-4.

Elena Rybakina, Marta Kostyuk
Elena Rybakina (Image via Imago)

The Stuttgart final was her fifth final this season, plus her eighth WTA title in her career so far. Rybakina secured the final berth by ending World No.1 Iga Swiatek‘s 10-win match streak in Stuttgart. The semifinal match ended after three sets with Rybakina winning with scores of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Her final opponent, Marta Kostyuk, however, progressed into her second final of the season, with the first being the San Diego Open. She appeared in the Stuttgart final after knocking out three top 10 players, defeating Qinwen Zheng, Coco Gauff, and Marketa Vondrousova.

Rybakina now leads the head-to-head record 2-1 against Kostyuk, previously locking horns at the 2023 US Open and the 2023 Adelaide International. They will next participate in the Mutua Madrid Open where Rybakina will aim to clinch her fourth title on clay. The first two titles on the surface came at the 2023 Rome Open and the 2019 Bucharest Open.

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