Elena Rybakina narrowly came through a difficult test against Leylah Fernandez to advance to the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open.
Following a comfortable win over Diana Shnaider in her opening match at the tournament, Rybakina was forced to come back from a set down against Fernandez to win 6-7, 6-4, 7-6.
The Kazakh star, now two wins away from her 13th career title, will now take on Mirra Andreeva in the final four.
What has been the best WTA match of 2026?
Let us know in the comments!
Rybakina and Andreeva have faced off three times before on the WTA Tour, with the head-to-head currently 2-1 in favour of the Russian.
Ahead of their fourth meeting, the world number two had high praise for her upcoming opponent.
Elena Rybakina previews her match with Mirra Andreeva
Asked about Andreeva’s game in her post-match press conference after defeating Fernandez, Rybakina said: “Well, she has a pretty good serve and a really good backhand.
“And she moves, does the game well, and she’s a tough opponent now coming with a lot of confidence, a lot of matches on clay.
“I will try to focus on myself, on my serve, because today it wasn’t really great, especially in the first set. So the serve will be the priority. And of course, try to move and be as fresh as possible.”
Andreeva booked her place in the semifinals after earning a comeback win over Iga Swiatek, besting the four-time Roland Garros champion in three sets.
Where do you think she will be ranked?
The 18-year-old has already won two titles this year in Adelaide and Linz, and is searching for her sixth career tour-level crown.
Elena Rybakina explains why it was so difficult against Leylah Fernandez
Reflecting on the tough battle with Fernandez, Rybakina said: “Well, I think the biggest challenge is that it’s just the second match on clay, and I didn’t start the match well.
“Leylah, she’s a fighter, she always tries to play fast, take time from you. We know each other pretty well.
“Start of the match wasn’t the greatest from my side, and the serve was not working. So of course it was difficult to always chase, but I’m happy that in the second set it was couple of tight points which I won, and somehow won the second set and just stayed there, kept on fighting.
“I had a lot of opportunities after to close the games quicker, but it was a struggle. But in the end, everything went my way, which I’m really happy with.”
Rybakina took a 3-2 lead in the head-to-head with Fernandez with the victory in Stuttgart.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
