Becoming Superior, Aryna Sabalenka Failed To Advance To The Stuttgart Open Final

JAKARTA - The Stuttgart Open event gave unexpected results. Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, who are said to be seeded, had to die in the quarter-finals, Friday (19/4) local time.

Defending champion Wimbledon Marketa Vondrousova beat second in the world, Sabalenka with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Meanwhile, as broadcast by AFP, Saturday, the champion of the US Open Gauff, world number three, lost 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (6/8) to Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk.

Vondrousova reached her first semifinals since winning the Wimbledon title last July when she surprised Sabalenka.

The sixth seed from Czech celebrated his first win over Sabalenka in six years after losing four consecutive losses between 2018 and 2023.

Australian Open Champion Sabalenka is trying to reach the Stuttgart final for the fourth year in a row.

The Belarusian tennis player recorded 35 winners compared to 17 winners belonging to Vondrousova, but he made 48 unforced errors compared to the 19 unforced errors made by Vondrousova.

Launching Antara, Vondrousova has crucially converted seven of Sabalenka's eight break points while only took advantage of six of the 15 chances.

The 24-year-old will face Kostyuk for a place in the final on Sunday after the Ukrainian 27th-placed player retaliated for his defeat in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open to Gauff.

Kostyuk took more than three hours to beat Laura Siegemund in the first half before saving five match points to pass Zheng Qinwen in the round of 16.

In the quarter-finals, he came from 2-4 on the second set and trailed 1-3 on the third set, while Gauff had to save a total of seven match points.

The 21-year-old recorded a total of 21 break points and scored 35 winners as he reached his third semi-final in 2024.

"Yes, of course it means a lot because to be consistent in tennis requires hard work and discipline," said Kostyuk.

"Everything around you has to work really well."