Elena Rybakina reveals she used Stuttgart Porsche to pass driving test after Shnaider win

Elena Rybakina revealed she earned her driver’s license in style at the 2026 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, confirming she took her drivers test in the Porsche she earned by winning the title two years ago.

“Winning the tournament gave me a good push to finally do my exams and get the driver’s license, so I have it now and I’m enjoying the car,” Rybakina said on court after defeating Diana Shnaider in straight sets. “I’m enjoying the rides when I do my pre-season.”

The reigning Australian Open champion first confirmed she’d earned her driver’s license back in 2025, joking she had become her team’s de facto chauffeur.

As the top seed this week in Stuttgart, Rybakina didn’t drive to her first clay-court tournament of the season, but the Kazakh appears plenty motivated to win a second in three years. She won 91% of her first-serve points to defeat Shnaider, 6-3, 6-4.

“We’re always on tour, so I’m missing this kind of driving a bit, but it’s been amazing and I’m super happy to be back!” said Rybakina, who will next face either Leylah Fernandez or Zeynep Sonmez.

Rybakina was joined in the quarterfinals by No. 6 seed Mirra Andreeva, who appears to have turned around her season since switching the clay. The 18-year-old arrived in Stuttgart fresh off winning her second title of the year in Linz, and, after dethroning defending champion Jelena Ostapenko, navigated a first-set tiebreaker to defeat American Alycia Parks, 7-6 (3), 6-3.

Andreeva had struggled for consistency after starting the year with a title in Adelaide, showing flashes of emotional upheaval through defeats at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open.

"I'm just super happy with the way I stayed composed," Andreeva said after the match. "I felt like at some moments I was getting a little bit more tight, because for me, every point was important when you play against these kind of dangerous players."

Should she win her first title in Stuttgart, Andreeva, like Rybakina would not be able to drive off with the Porsche, as she too is without a driver’s license.

“I’ve been practicing and it’s not like I don’t know anything about it,” she said back in Indian Wells. “I just need to have some time to get my driver’s license at some point, but I think I’m going to survive on the road.”

Andreeva will next face former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.