Polish tennis ace Iga Swiatek could not continue her dominance in Stuttgart as she failed to reach the final for a third consecutive year. While Swiatek was the champion on the past two occasions, the 22-year-old was knocked out of the WTA 500 event after losing to Elena Rybakina in the semifinal.
Swiatek lost to the Kazakh ace in three sets and her dream to win a third consecutive title was shattered. Swiatek as well as her fans were disappointed to see her miss out on an opportunity.
Iga Swiatek and Roger Federer (Image via: Imago)
While everyone found their reasons for the loss, one fan blamed the Roger Federer-backed On Running for Swiatek’s defeat.
The fan claimed that Swiatek not getting a fresh new kit from her sponsors led to her defeat. They seemed frustrated at this and also dragged Federer into this.
I blame this loss on ON RUNNING btw. We were supposed to start clay season FRESH WITH A FRESH MINDSET and FRESH KIT but no we brought the same FLOPPERY FROM HC. I am in your WALLS ROGER FEDERER!The user posted on X expressing their frustration at Iga Swiatek’s loss.
Elena Rybakina troubles Iga Swiatek yet again!
Elena Rybakina came into the match against Iga Swiatek with the head-to-head record between the two in her favor and Rybakina further extended that lead by beating the World No. 1 in three sets. The Kazakh ace beat Swiatek 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the final.
With this defeat, Swiatek’s ten-match winning streak at the Stuttgart Open came to an end. The 22-year-old Polish ace lost to Rybakina for the second time on clay. The Kazakh ace was thrilled to have registered a win against the World No. 1.
It was a very tough match, like always, against Iga. Really happy that I won on clay. Gives confidence, of course.Elena Rybakina said after her win over Iga Swiatek. (H/T: WTA)
With this win, Rybakina set herself a clash with Marta Kostyuk in the final. The Kazakh ace will be hoping to win her third title of the season. Rybakina has made five finals so far this season including the one in Stuttgart.
She’s the first player to reach five finals in the season’s first four months since Victoria Azarenka in 2012. The 24-year-old will have an interesting challenge in the form of Kostyuk who has defeated her once in two meetings.
