The website Lastwordonsports.com shared a prediction for the final of the WTA 500 tournament — Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany between Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina (No.4) and Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (No.27). Kostyuk is also known as the «storm of authorities.»
The decisive match will take place today, April 21, starting at 16:00 Astana time. The live broadcast will be available here.
«Personal meetings: Rybakina 1-1 Kostyuk. Both players had to put in a lot of effort to reach the final. Seeded fourth, Rybakina won all her matches in deciding sets, defeating Veronika Kudermetova, Jasmine Paolini, and world No.1 Iga Swiatek. Kostyuk defeated Laura Siegemund in the third set, saved five match points against Qiang Wang, and beat Cori Gauff in a tie-break in the final set on the eighth match point. Her victory over Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals was the only two-set win.
Let’s hope that neither player will run out of steam in the final, especially Rybakina. Her stunning victory over Swiatek took almost three hours. Playing again without a day of rest will require huge efforts from her. This means that her powerful serve will be crucial in this match. On clay, it is harder for her to earn points, but it will be a vital part of defeating the Ukrainian.
The importance of Rybakina’s serve is also explained by Kostyuk’s playing style. She is one of the best clay-court players, making her skilled in long rallies. This will help her identify Rybakina’s fatigue and weak movement.
However, the advantage in the final will still be on Rybakina’s side. She was simply outstanding in her victory over Swiatek. With her penetrating shots, Rybakina dominated many rallies, making the world’s best player look quite average on clay. If she continues to strike the ball cleanly, even a fast-moving player like Kostyuk will struggle to stop her.
The Ukrainian undoubtedly has a chance on her favorite surface if she can make Rybakina move. But champion Rybakina must win in two sets,» as written by the source.
The tournament’s prize money is 922,573 dollars. In addition to this and ranking points, the competition winner will also receive a Porsche car.
