Elena Rybakina crowned Stuttgart’s tennis queen once again

For Elena Rybakina, the triumph in Stuttgart was the 13th career title. After winning a tight opening set, she then started to increasingly dominate play to force Karolina Muchova onto the back foot. A powerful serve set up the final winning point and she then raised her fist aloft with a big smile on her face.

“Winning a tournament for the second time is something very special,” said Rybakina. “It’s the first time I’ve managed it.” She felt the first set was decisive: “Winning it was extremely important and it made my start to the second easier.” She also singled out the atmosphere in the Porsche Arena. “It’s such a great tournament, I’d like to come back every year. We players really enjoy our time in Stuttgart.”

At the victory ceremony, the new champion received the trophy and the key for the Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet from Dr. Michael Leiters, Chairman of the Executive Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Smiling, she remarked that she can “luckily enough enjoy the winner’s car” this time around because she now has a driver’s licence.

Despite the final defeat, Karolina Muchova can look back on an excellent week. In only her second main-draw appearance in Stuttgart, the Czech reached the final for the first time after wins over Elise Mertens, Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina. “I had a lot of fun in Stuttgart, we players feel at home here,” she said. Missing out on the title this time around has done nothing to lessen her enthusiasm for the tournament: “I’ll definitely try to come back and win the Porsche.”

Finals day once again began with a special cultural highlight as the world-famous Stuttgart Ballet, supported by Porsche, presented an excerpt from Roman Novitzky’s ballet “The Place of Choice” on Centre Court. With 17 dancers taking part, it was the biggest cast ever to appear in the Porsche Arena.

Doubles winners cruise to the title

The doubles final was next up in the Porsche Arena after the singles presentation ceremony. Nicole Melichar-Martinez from USA and Liudmila Samsonova won 6-1, 6-1 against top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and her Chinese partner Shuai Zhang. The winners’ trophies were awarded by Dr. Jochen Breckner, Member of the Executive Board, Finance and IT of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.

Over 34,000 spectators in the Porsche Arena

Tournament Director Markus Günthardt was highly positive when reviewing the past week. “Over 34,000 spectators and world-class tennis, we’re delighted,” he said pointing to the sold-out Porsche Arena on four days as well as the fantastic way the tournament’s enhanced overall experience has been received. Particularly important for him was that the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix has once again impressed both on court and in terms of atmosphere in the arena which was “emotional, fair and knowledgeable, exactly for what Stuttgart is known for”. Anke Huber, the Operating Tournament Director, was also impressed by the level of play: “We had an outstanding field of players, six of the tournament’s Top 8 were in the quarterfinals. It reflects the exceptional quality of the event.”

“Aces for Charity”: Porsche donates 30,000 euro for children

A success was also the “Aces for Charity” fundraiser. It has been an integral part of the long-established Stuttgart tournament for many years. For every ace hit, Porsche donates 100 euro to good causes. A total of 272 aces were struck, 30 of them by Linda Noskova alone. Porsche rounded up the donation to 30,000 euro, which was shared equally between the tournament’s charity partners, Stiftung Agapedia and the Stuttgarter Kinderstiftung. The cheques were presented by Joachim Scharnagl, Member of the Executive Board Procurement at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, before the doubles final on Centre Court. The money will go towards projects to benefit children.

Sunday’s results

Final, singles
[1] E. Rybakina (KAZ) def [7] K. Muchova (CZE) 7-5, 6-1

Final, doubles
[4] N. Melichar-Martinez (USA)/L. Samsonova def [1] J. Ostapenko (LAT)/S. Zhang (CHN) 6-1, 6-1