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Top seed Elena Rybakina survived a major scare to advance at the 2026 WTA Stuttgart Open Coco Gauff And Iga Swiatek was eliminated on Friday in a dramatic quarter-final day. Karolina Muchova Gauff stunned 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 and Mirra Andreeva continued their dominance over Swiatek with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback win. Meanwhile, Rybakina pushed past Leylah Fernandez 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (6) and secured a match point in an exciting three-hour battle for a place in the semi-finals.
No. 7 Muchova saved 12 of 15 break points in a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win that marked her first win over Gauff in seven career meetings. The Czech will next face No. 4 Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian picked up a 7-6 (2), 7-5 win over Czech Linda Noskova.
No. 6 Andreeva of Russia claimed a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory to defeat Swiatek of Poland for the third straight time. Andreeva saved 9 of 14 break points and won in two hours and 36 minutes.
Andreeva next faces Rybakina, who fended off a second match point against Canada’s Leylah Fernandez to take the final three points to secure a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (6) win. Rybakina held a 7-6 advantage in aces and scored 51 winners while winning in three hours and two minutes.
Rouen Metropolitan Open
Teenage qualifier Veronika Podrez of Ukraine reached the semifinals of her first major-round tournament with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Britain’s Katie Boulter in Rouen, France.
The 19-year-old Podrez had 28 winners against 11 unforced errors and dispatched Boulter in 78 minutes. Podrez’s semi-final opponent will be second seed Sorana Cirstea after the Romanian recorded a 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory over Anna Bondar of Hungary.
In the other semi-final, top seed Marta Kostyuk from Ukraine and Tatjana Maria from Germany will meet. Kostyuk defeated Ann Li 6-0, 6-7 (4), 6-3, while Maria defeated Belarus’ Iryna Shymanovich 7-6 (5), 6-2.
