Many assumed that this would be a match between Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, but it's not, Marta Kostyuk will take on Marketa Vondrousova instead.
Kostyuk and Vondrousova secured big upsets over the favored players at the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Kostyuk outlasted Gauff in a crazy match with many twists and turns. She had a break in the final set but then had to wiggle out of Gauff's serving to the match to win in the tie-break.
Vondrousova equally outlasted a very inconsistent Sabalenka, who won't be playing a fourth consecutive final in Stuttgart, so while it's not the flashy semi-final that many assumed would be played, it's the deserved one for both players.
Head-to-head:
Vondrousova and Kostyuk played only once, and it was a pretty easy win for the Czech player in the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup. The Czech player might not be the best-known name, but at her best, she's one of the best players in the world, and her results prove that.
She won Wimbledon last year, and she's still ranked in the Top 10 despite missing a lot of time due to injuries. Kostyuk is a solid player as well, but she is not realistically on the level of Vondrousova.
I'm very curious to see if the Ukrainian can hold rallies against Vondrosuva. She'll need to do that if she hopes to win the match.
| Marketa Vondrousova | Marta Kostyuk | |
| 1 | H2H | 0 |
| 8 | Rank | 27 |
| 24 | Age | 21 |
| 8-4 | 2024 W/L | 18-6 |
| 268-114 | Career W/L | 198-114 |
Prediction:
Kostyuk beat Gauff largely because the American was very inconsistent in the rallies. The Ukrainian has good firepower, but she'll face a wall in Vondrousova, and I don't think she'll hold. She's not yet on that level, even though she's getting there slowly.
Prediction: Marketa Vondrousova to win in three sets.
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