Favorite Competition Champions and Surprise Makers

WTA Stuttgart's favorites, Swiatek and Rybakina, will compete in the semifinals. Another match took place between the shockers.

AP/MARIJAN MURAT

Tennis player Marta Kostyuk hits the ball during her match against Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 Stuttgart at Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany, on Friday (19/4/2024). Kostyuk advances to the semifinals after defeating Gauff with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6).

STUTTGART, FRIDAY — The elimination of Aryna Sabalenka and Cori ”Coco” Gauff in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 Stuttgart tennis tournament means that the semifinals will be marked by the presence of two surprising tennis players. The other two semifinalists are tennis players who are favorites to win.

The semifinals, which will take place at the Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany, on Saturday (20/4/2024), will be started by a meeting between the top seeds, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina (4). The winner among the favorites will compete with other semifinal winners who made a surprise on their way to the semifinals. They are Marta Kostyuk and Marketa Vondrousova.

It was a difficult match because Aryna always hit the ball hard.

In the quarterfinals on Friday, Kostyuk defeated Coco with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6), while Vondrousova won against Sabalenka 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Vondrousova not only ended Sabalenka's three consecutive victories over her, but also halted Sabalenka's streak of always reaching the final in Stuttgart from 2021-2023, yet always failing to become the champion.

Also read: Swiatek Returns to Her Comfort Zone

"The match was difficult because Aryna always hits the ball hard. However, the most important thing is that I can match the level of the best tennis players. When I can keep up with them, I can win," said Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, on the official WTA website.

AFP/THOMAS KIENZLE

Tennis player Aryna Sabalenka bit her racket after losing to Marketa Vondrousova in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 Stuttgart tournament at Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, on Friday (19/4/2024). Vondrousova beat Sabalenka 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Kostyuk's journey to the semifinals was even tougher. Her physical and mental endurance was tested when she played for more than three hours when she faced Laura Seigemund in the first half. After that, he faced five match points Australian Open finalist, Zheng Qin Wen, in the second round. Coupled with the victory over Coco, Kostyuk fought for 8 hours 37 minutes in three rounds.

The Ukrainian tennis player has demonstrated her consistency this year by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open Grand Slam, the final of the WTA San Diego, and the semifinals of the WTA 1000 Indian Wells. "Of course, being able to reach the semifinals three times in a row means a lot to me. To be consistent in the competition on the tennis court, it takes a lot of hard work and high discipline," said Kostyuk.

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The Vondrousova versus Kostyuk semifinal will be their second competition after Vondrousova's win at the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup women's team championship. They were supposed to meet again in the third round of the 2024 Indian Wells WTA 1000 in March, but the match was canceled because Vondrousova withdrew without explanation.

If Kostyuk can maintain her physical and mental endurance, the semifinal against Vondrousova could become another long match. Both of them need to prove that they can play well on the clay court.

AFP/THOMAS KIENZLE

Tennis player Elena Rybakina celebrated after defeating Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinal match of the WTA 500 Stuttgart at Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany, on Friday (19/4/2024). Rybakina advanced to the semifinals after defeating Paolini 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

The other semifinal, between Swiatek and Rybakina, is a competition at a different level. Both of them have been the most consistent tennis players in 2024. Prior to appearing in Stuttgart, Swiatek won 22 matches and lost 3 times. This statistic is almost balanced with Rybakina, who also won 22 times but lost 4 times. Both players have the same number of championship titles, which is two.

Meeting statistics can also serve as a strict guarantee of the competition between the two Grand Slam champions. Rybakina leads 3-2, but lost in their last meeting at the WTA 1000 Doha final in February.

Also read: Grand Slam Champions work extra hard

"Competing against Iga is always tough. In every match, we have to push ourselves to perform to the highest level," said Rybakina, the Wimbledon 2023 champion.

The Kazakhstani tennis player said that every tennis player certainly wants to defeat Swiatek. However, for the semifinals in Stuttgart, she tries to think realistically. According to her, Swiatek is always the favorite to win when the match takes place on clay courts like at the Porsche Arena. Swiatek is also always comfortable playing there, as proven by the championship titles she has won in the past two years.

AP/MARIJAN MURAT

Tennis player Emma Raducanu fell during her match against Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 Stuttgart tournament at Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, on Friday (19/4/2024). Swiatek defeated Raducanu, 7-6(2), 6-3.

However, that doesn't mean Rybakina doesn't have a chance to beat Swiatek. If she can consistently apply pressure, the opportunity to stop Swiatek's victory in Stuttgart remains open. Moreover, Swiatek had to work hard for two hours and three minutes to beat Emma Raducanu 7-6 (2), 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Keep in mind that Raducanu isn't exactly a skilled player on clay courts.

“The intensity of the match was very high. "I'm happy to be able to survive even though I have to go through difficult competition," commented Swiatek.

Also read: Inspiration of Two Mothers at WTA Miami

Tsitsipas misses match point

In the ATP 500 men's tournament Barcelona, the ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo champion, Stefanos Tsitsipas, had to face two match points opponents to qualify for the semifinals. That moment occurred when Tsitsipas faced Facundo Diaz Acosta on the clay court of Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, ​​Spain, Friday.

Tsitsipas was on the verge of defeat when Acosta made match point in the third set. The 53rd ranked Argentinian made it difficult for Tsitsipas with dropshots that changed the rhythm of the game.

AFP/JOSEP LAGO

Tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrated after defeating Facundo Diaz Acosta in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 Barcelona tournament at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, Spain, on Friday (19/4/2024). Tsitsipas won 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8) against Acosta.

However, Acosta failed to take advantage of this opportunity because he made an unforced error when he was just one step away from getting his biggest win. Tsitsipas finally won 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8) and will face Dusan Lajovic in the semifinals.

"Playing in the match earlier was like climbing a mountain. It was very difficult to maintain the level of play throughout the game. Facundo played very well on clay, so I had to remind myself to keep trying," said Tsitsipas.

Also read: Nadal Returns to Compete in Barcelona

If Tsitsipas can defeat Lajovic in the semifinals, he will play in his fourth final in Barcelona that has always ended in defeat. He lost to Rafael Nadal in the finals of 2018 and 2021, and to Carlos Alcaraz in 2023.

Without these two players (Nadal losing in the second round, Alcaraz absent in Barcelona), Tsitsipas' chances of winning should have been greater. If he were to make it to the final again, his opponent would be Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Casper Ruud. Like Tsitsipas, Ruud is skilled at playing on clay. He was defeated by Tsitsipas in the Monte Carlo Masters final last week. (AP / REUTERS)