Swiatek Downs Raducanu, Stays Perfect In Stuttgart; Sabalenka, Gauff Fall

The last four Grand Slam champions were in action Friday at the Stuttgart indoor clay event, and the most recent two were sent home.

Aryna Sabalenka fell to Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in a compelling three sets 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

The Czech lefty ended a 4-match skid to Sabalenka by coming from a set down and then 5-4 down in the third. It’s her first semifinal and first Top 5 win since Wimbledon.

“I’m very happy with my match today,” Vondrousova said. “I think it was a great one, a tough one. She’s a fighter, and I think we played a great match. Yeah, we broke each other couple of times, so I think, yeah, it was a very good match.”

Next for Vondrousova will be Marta Kostyuk who saved the best for last closing the day with a thrilling 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) win over Coco Gauff.

“Was very intense match. I honestly, from the beginning of the match, I think I was really off. I couldn’t find a way to, like, put myself together really,” Kostyuk said.

“Then slowly by slowly she made some unforced errors in the second set, and I just kind of got it back and I had some chances in the beginning of the third, which I didn’t use. Yeah, I mean, it was a bit of a roller coaster, but a really incredible ending, definitely.”

Kostyuk was down a set with Gauff serving 4-3 in the second. She advances to her third straight tournament semifinal.

“Definitely means a lot, because, you know, to be consistent in tennis, it takes a lot of work and a lot of discipline. You know, everything around you has to work really well,” Kostyuk said.

“So I’m glad with, you know, how we’re kind of, you know, keeping it together, and in the same time, you know, like I didn’t even know it’s my third semifinal, third straight semifinal, because I take every match, like, by match. I don’t focus on the result.”

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek stayed perfect in Stuttgart. The 2-time defending champion improved to 10-0 at the event after a 7-6(2), 6-3 win over Emma Raducanu.

“It was intense, a lot of tough games, a lot of chances,” Swiatek said. “So I’m happy that I used to some of them, and I got the lead in both sets. Good finish and strong at the end.

She’ll now take on Elena Rybakina who went three to defeat Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. She has now won 24 of her 27 matches this season, but will take on Swiatek in the semifinals.

“It’s always of course tough to play against Iga, and I feel like we pushing each other till the limits,” Rybakina said. “I remember when this year when we played exhibition and you’re just coming out of preseason and it’s very tough. She started really intense, and I’m, like, I need to keep it up.

“I think it’s nice to play against her. Of course I want to win, but I need to be also realistic. She’s very good player on clay. She’s maybe a little bit more favorite now, but again, if I play well, I serve well, I move good, I have all the chances. So I’m just happy to play against her.”

They have met five times with Rybakina leading 3-2 winning three of four since the start of last year. Swiatek did beat her this year in the Doha final to end a 3-match losing skid to her rival.

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