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Match details
Fixture: (4) Elena Rybakina vs Marta Kostyuk
Date: April 21, 2024
Tournament: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Round: Final
Venue: Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Clay (indoor)
Prize Money: $922,573
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports
Elena Rybakina vs Marta Kostyuk preview
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final will have Elena Rybakina take on Marta Kostyuk in an encounter that promises some fierce baseline hitting.
Rybakina, the fourth seed at this year’s tournament, ended Iga Swiatek’s winning run spread across three years in the semifinal — scoring a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win. She has also battled past the likes of Veronika Kudermetova and Jasmine Paolini in similar marathons.
The run in Stuttgart has helped the Kazakh improve her season’s win-loss record to an impressive 25-4 and she will now be gunning for her third title of the year.
Kostyuk, meanwhile, has been on a giant-killing spree this week, having posted three wins over top-10 opponents in the form of Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff and Marketa Vondrousova.
Notably, the Ukrainian had opened her career with a 0-16 record against the elite club, but has now won her last seven matches against the top-10. After battling past Qinwen and Gauff in three-set tussles, she peaked her in the semifinal against Vondrousova, closing it out 7-6(2), 6-2.
Elena Rybakina vs Marta Kostyuk head-to-head
Rybakina and Kostyuk have split their previous two meetings, so their head-to-head stands at a 1-1 deadlock. Both the encounters took place in 2023.
Elena Rybakina vs Marta Kostyuk odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elena Rybakina vs Marta Kostyuk prediction
Given their similarly power-packed games and close past record, fans could be in for another close encounter when Elena Rybakina and Marta Kostyuk step out on court for the final.
The one area where the Kazakh has a slight edge is the serve. The Kazakh has been broken on 11 occasions in three matches this week, compared to Kostyuk’s 19 in four encounters.
The indoor conditions favor the big servers and whichever player does well in the department will have an automatic edge in the encounter.
Fatigue should be a non-factor as both players have had similarly difficult routes to the final.
Kostyuk has been fearless all week and could well push her opponent to the brink. However, in a close battle like this, Rybakina’s ability to conjure up precise serves on crucial points and her big-match experience may help see her through.
Prediction: Rybakina to win in three sets
