Daijiworld Media Network - Stuttgart

Stuttgart, Apr 17: Top seed Elena Rybakina booked her place in the quarter-finals of the WTA clay-court event in Stuttgart on Thursday with a straight-sets win over Diana Shnaider.

The 26-year-old, who won the tournament in 2024, secured a 6-2, 6-4 victory in one hour and 12 minutes, relying heavily on her powerful serve. Shnaider, ranked 19th, put up a stronger fight in the second set but was undone by double faults at crucial moments. Rybakina fired her ninth ace to close out the match and will next face Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, who defeated Zeynep Sonmez 6-7 (2/7), 6-1, 7-6 (7/5).

World number three Coco Gauff also progressed to the last eight, defeating Liudmila Samsonova 7-5, 6-1. The American second seed will face Czech player Karolina Muchova in the quarter-finals.

Earlier, Muchova came from a set down to beat Elise Mertens 1-6, 6-3, 6-0, while Linda Noskova registered a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova to set up a clash with Elina Svitolina, who advanced with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Eva Lys.

Seventh seed Mirra Andreeva extended her winning streak to six matches after a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over Alycia Parks. The 18-year-old, fresh from her title win in Linz, will now face two-time Stuttgart champion Iga Swiatek in a high-profile quarter-final.

Swiatek, who has a strong record on clay, began her Stuttgart campaign with a convincing win over Laura Siegemund. Andreeva said she is approaching the clash with confidence, noting she is “curious” to see how she matches up against the former champion.