Upper Austria Ladies Linz Final preview: Ekaterina Alexandrova and Dayana Yastremska to fight for first WTA 500 title

Ekaterina Alexandrova and Dayana Yastremska will face off in the Upper Austria Ladies Linz final, both aiming for their first title of the season. The 30-year-old Russian stunned top seed Karolina Muchova in the semifinals with a commanding straight-sets victory, while the Ukrainian had a similarly dominant performance, dispatching Clara Tauson with ease.

Alexandrova has proven to be a consistent force on the Tour, always a dangerous opponent, but few would have predicted her crushing win over the talented Muchova. The Russian raced through the opening set in under 30 minutes with a 6-0 bagel. Although Muchova regained some rhythm in the second set, Alexandrova held firm on serve and took her chance to close out the match 6-0, 6-4.

Alexandrova dominates Muchova, Yastremska cruises past Tauson

This marks Alexandrova’s ninth career final (4-4 record) and her second consecutive appearance in the Linz final, having finished runner-up to Jelena Ostapenko last year. She is now seeking her first WTA 500 title after a strong week, bouncing back from an early exit at the Australian Open. Her opponent will be Dayana Yastremska, who holds a 3-2 lead in their head-to-head, including 2-0 on hard courts.

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Yastremska’s run this week has been remarkable, securing victories over Lucia Bronzetti, Antonia Ruzic, third seed Maria Sakkari, and Clara Tauson—all without dropping a set. Against Sakkari and Tauson, she conceded just five games in each match, heading into the final brimming with confidence.

Despite struggling with her first serve (just 49% against Tauson), Yastremska’s clutch play proved crucial. She saved all nine break points she faced and converted three of her 10 break opportunities.

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The former World No. 21 will be playing her first final since the 2022 Lyon Open, where she fell to Zhang Shuai. Yastremska won three WTA titles between 2018 and 2019 at just 18 years old, but a doping suspension derailed her rising career. Now at 24, the Ukrainian is chasing her first WTA 500 title, a potential career-reviving victory that could propel her back among the world’s elite.

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