Marta Kostyuk jokes about driver's license advantage over Elena Rybakina with Porsche car on the line in Stuttgart final

Marta Kostyuk has playfully mentioned her advantage of having a driver's license over Elena Rybakina during the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final, where a Porsche car is at stake.

Kostyuk defeated sixth seed Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (2), 6-2 to secure her spot in the final of the Stuttgart Open. She will face Rybakina, who defeated World No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the other semifinal.

During the post-match on-court interview, Elena Rybakina was asked if she could drive as fast as she could hit the ball on the court. The question arose due to the enticing prize which awaits the winner of the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart - a Porsche Taycan 4S Sport Turismo electric car.

In response, Rybakina admitted that she does not yet possess a driver's license.

"You can hit the ball very fast, is this the way you drive as well?" the interview asked on-court.

"Well guys, I actually don’t have (a) driver’s license. So it’s gonna be the goal, of course. I mean, I want (it) already for a long time, so that’s a good motivation," Rybakina said.

Following Elena Rybakina's semifinal match against Iga Swiatek, Marta Kostyuk took to the court to face Vondrousova. Following the Ukrainian's win, during the post-match on-court interview with former German tennis player Andrea Petkovic, Kostyuk was asked if she held a driver's license, to which she confidently replied in the affirmative.

"We heard that Elena doesn’t have a driver’s license. Does Marta have a driver’s license?" Petkovic asked.

"Yes, of course I do (laughing),” Kostyuk said.

On her way to the Stuttgart Open final, Marta Kostyuk defeated three top-10 players on the trot. She overcame World No. 7 Qinwen Zheng in the second round, World No. 3 Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals, and World No. 8 Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals.

At the post-match on-court interview, Kostyuk was asked to share her thoughts on her impressive victories. The World No. 27 mentioned that she started her career with zero wins to 14 losses against the top 10 players, and she is trying to close that gap.

“I mean, I don’t think a lot of people know, but I started my career love 14 (0-14) against the top ten players, and I’m really trying to, you know, catch up with the number,” Kostyuk said.

Kostyuk expressed that it felt "incredible" to defeat three top-10 opponents back-to-back. She also shared her aspirations of winning a Grand Slam title soon.

“I mean, I had some before, but yeah, this is really amazing, and you know, these are some of the best players in the world in the last year. It was incredible to beat all of them in a row, and yeah, I mean hoping for a Grand Slam too for myself one day,” she added.

A look into Marta Kostyuk and Elena Rybakina's head-to-head record ahead of their Stuttgart Open final

Marta Kostyuk at Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Stuttgart 2024

Before securing her place in the final at the 2024 Stuttgart Open, Marta Kostyuk defeated the likes of Laura Siegemund, Qinwen Zheng, Coco Gauff, and Marketa Vondrousova. Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina beat the likes of Veronika Kudermetova, Jasmine Paolini, and Iga Swiatek on her way to the final.

Kostyuk and Rybakina have competed against each other twice on the WTA Tour, resulting in a tied head-to-head record of 1-1. Both of their encounters took place in 2023.

Their first match was at the Adelaide International 1, where Marta Kostyuk emerged victorious with a score of 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3. Their second match was in the first round of the US Open, where Elena Rybakina defeated the Ukranian 6-2, 6-1.