STUTTGART, Germany, April 17 (Reuters) – French Open champion Coco Gauff and four-times Roland Garros winner Iga Swiatek were knocked out of the Stuttgart Open quarter-finals on Friday, while Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina survived a gruelling three-set battle against Leylah Fernandez to set up a semi-final against Mirra Andreeva.
Gauff’s claycourt season got off to a shaky start as she lost 6-3 5-7 6-3 to Karolina Muchova. World number three Gauff, who had beaten Muchova in all six previous meetings on hard courts, committed 13 unforced errors on her forehand as she dropped a set to her Czech opponent for the first time.
The American twice Grand Slam winner bounced back to win the second set but Muchova was clinical in the third, fending off five break points as she clinched the only break in the set to take a decisive 4-2 lead.
“It’s always very tough against her. She’s a tough player… I think the third set was a battle. It was very physical, as well, and I’m glad I managed the first break and then I was able to keep it going,” world number 12 Muchova told reporters.
Former French Open finalist Muchova will face Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals, after the fourth seed beat Linda Noskova 7-6(2) 7-5.
ANDREEVA KNOCKS OUT SWIATEK
Mirra Andreeva overpowered Swiatek 3-6 6-4 6-3, in their first meeting on clay. The Russian 18-year-old broke serve in the first game before world number four Swiatek fought back with two breaks to clinch the first set.
Swiatek fought back from 2-0 down to make it 4-4 in the second set, but Andreeva held her nerve to force a decider.
“I think my baseline game was fine, and I see a progress there comparing to the last tournaments. But for sure, overall, it wasn’t enough,” Poland’s Swiatek said.
World number two Rybakina survived a stern test against Canadian Fernandez to secure a 6-7(5) 6-4 7-6(6) win and reach the semis where she will meet world number nine Andreeva.
“I was pretty negative from the beginning of the match, nothing was working, so I was just trying to play point at a time,” the 26-year-old Rybakina said.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru and Angelica Medina in Mexico City, editing by Ed Osmond)
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