Leylah Fernandez pushed the world No. 2 to the very edge—and for long stretches, beyond it. In the end, though, Elena Rybakina found just enough to escape.
In the final quarter-final of the Stuttgart Open, Rybakina saved two match points and edged a three-hour contest 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(6), denying Fernandez one of the biggest wins this season and booking a semi-final against Mirra Andreeva.
Fernandez dictates early and refuses to fade
For much of the evening, it was Fernandez who set the tone.
The Canadian absorbed Rybakina’s weight of shot and redirected it with clarity, particularly off the backhand wing, where she repeatedly broke the rhythm of baseline exchanges. Her return position paid dividends early, exposing Rybakina’s second serve and drawing a steady stream of double faults.
That pressure translated into scoreboard control. Fernandez moved ahead in the opening set and, despite a late push from Rybakina, held her nerve in a tight tiebreak, converting her sixth set point to take the lead.
The pattern held into the second set. Fernandez broke again and built a 4-2 advantage, consistently stepping inside the court and dictating rallies with early timing. At that stage, the upset was not just possible—it felt close to inevitable.
Rybakina absorbs pressure and turns the match
What followed was less a sudden shift than a gradual rebalancing.
Rybakina began to settle on serve, reducing the damage behind her second delivery and finding more first serves at key moments. From 4-2 down, she reeled off three consecutive games, breaking back through heavier cross-court exchanges and reclaiming control of the baseline.
The second set slipped from Fernandez’s grasp in that stretch. Rybakina closed it out 6-4, carrying momentum into the decider with a five-game run that changed the complexion of the match.
Even then, Fernandez refused to yield.
Two match points saved in a final-set escape
The third set became a test of endurance and nerve.
Fernandez reset quickly, breaking for 3-2 and again moving within touching distance of the finish line. At 5-3, she stood on the brink, serving for the match with a place in the semi-finals—and a meeting with Andreeva—within reach.
Rybakina held her ground.
A combination of depth and patience brought her back into the game, and when a double fault from Fernandez opened the door at 5-5, the Kazakh stepped through, breaking back under maximum pressure.
Still, the chances kept coming for Fernandez.
In the final-set tiebreak, she carved out another match point, only for it to slip away in the tightest of margins. From there, Rybakina edged ahead, managing the closing exchanges with just enough control to complete the comeback.
After more than three hours, it was over—but not before Fernandez had pushed her to the absolute limit.
Rybakina advances to face Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals, but the story of the match belongs equally to Fernandez. Against the world No. 2, she produced one of her most complete performances on clay—aggressive, resilient, and within a point or two of a defining win.