(Stuttgart) Coco Gauff had to draw on her reserves to slow down Veronika Kudermetova and reach the second round of the Stuttgart Open, which was much easier for Elena Rybakina against Jule Niemeier.
Fifth-seeded Gauff needed nearly three hours to defeat Kudermetova 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3). The Russian came from behind winning the last four games of set two to force a final set, in which she came from behind 3-5 to force the tiebreaker.
Gauff finally got the better of her opponent and will face Anastasia Potapova.
Rybakina won five games in a row en route to a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Niemeier, who had taken a 3-1 lead in the second set. She will now face Beatriz Haddad Maia.
PHOTO MARIJAN MURAT, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kazakh Elena Rybakina
Playing for the third time in four tournaments, Karolina Pliskova defeated eighth seed Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 to set the stage for a clash against Donna Vekic.
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Ukraine’s first racket Elina Svitolina (WTA 12) has determined her opponent in the Australian Open 2026 1/8 final.
In the fourth round of the major in Melbourne, the Ukrainian will play against the seventh “neutral” racket in the world Mirra AndreevaDefeated the Romanian representative in the third round match Elena-Gabriela Ruse (WTA 79).
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Andreeva defeated Ruse in two sets with scores of 6:3 and 6:4 in 1 hour and 37 minutes.
Svitolina had played against Andreeva only once before – in March 2025, Elina lost to Mirra in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 competition in Indian Wells.
Svitolina knocked out another “neutral” Diana Schneider in the 1/16 final of the Australian Open.
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Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina In a flash interview on the court, she commented on her victory over Diana Schneider in the 1/16 final match of the Australian Open 2026:
– Elina, congratulations. When you turned the match score you had the biggest smile on your face. It was a tough match, wasn’t it? Relaxation?
– Yes definitely. It was a difficult match. I was really hoping to continue the service. We took a few breaks and I was a little disappointed in myself. But at the end of the day, I’m very, very happy with my performance. And of course it’s really great to play in front of you and win. Thank you.
– You went from point to point in the first set. You played great in the tiebreaker match. In the second game you won 3:1 and had the game ball. You didn’t apply it. How disappointed are you? Because I saw you taking very deep breaths.
“This is how you deal with disappointments.” Of course, when you miss a few opportunities, it feels like the world is ending. Of course you want to get back into the game and fight. I was very happy and tried to take out this frustration with my fists and hit even harder.
– You did a great job. And your husband – is he still here? Yes he’s still here [смотрит на Гаэля Монфиса]. He doesn’t like us talking about him but I have to ask you. – unfortunately he lost in the first round – What’s the best tennis advice he’s ever given you? Or you may have problems (laughs).
– I’m thinking of being calmer (laughs). It taught me to be calmer. We play a lot of matches. We started playing tennis when we were very young. I started playing tennis at the age of four. He started playing tennis at the age of three. We spend our whole lives on the field and I think it’s important to find things you enjoy off the field as well. We have a wonderful family with our daughter Skye. This is such a wonderful gift for us. It’s a special moment for us to spend Gael’s final year together and enjoy it as much as possible.
– You definitely become more comfortable during the match (Elina laughs). After the previous game, you were asked what you were going to do for the rest of the day. You said you were going to take Gael’s credit card and go shopping. What did you buy?
– I bought a few bags. Thank you very much [обращается к Гаэлю]. I really liked it. You are a very good husband. Now I think he’s going to ask me to get my credit card to pay for his purchases.
– Don’t do this. Don’t give it to him, Elina. Congratulations on your victory and your two bags. Cheers to Elina Svitolina!
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(Melbourne) Favorite Aryna Sabalenka beat Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Sabalenka is seeking a third crown in four years, at the Australian leg of the Grand Slam. Her next rival will be the young Canadian Victoria Mboko, 16e in the world.
“I never really spoke to him. I never had the chance to interact or train with her. I saw her outside, she said of the 19-year-old Torontonian. She is a very good player and a fighter. She plays very good, aggressive tennis. »
Sabalenka led 40-0 in the 12the game of the first set, before having to play a tiebreaker. She took control 3-0, but lost the next three games.
The favorite snatched the set with a backhand along the line, on a second ball from her rival.
In the second set, Sabalenka blew a 4-0 lead, making the score 4-4. She once again had to win the tiebreaker.
“Anastasia was incredible,” Sabalenka said, on the field. I was always on my heels. There are days when you just have to keep fighting. It was a serious battle. »
Last year, Sabalenka was defeated in the final by Madison Keys at this tournament.
Later in the day, American Coco Gauff (No. 3) drew on her resources to come from behind and defeat her compatriot Hailey Baptiste in three sets of 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.
The Czech Karolina Muchova easily corrected the Polish Magda Linette 6-1, 6-1, while the Kazakh Yulia Putintseva ended the fairy tale of the Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3.
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