Jelena Ostapenko, unseeded and ranked 24th, shocked world number one Aryna Sabalenka, defeating her in straight sets at the WTA tournament in Stuttgart and claiming the ninth title of her career with a final scoreline of 6-4, 6-1.
This marks Ostapenko’s first clay-court title since winning the French Open in 2017. She finished the match as fast as she could, winning on her first match point and lifting her first WTA singles trophy since February last year.
Showing respect and sportsmanship after the match, Ostapenko said to Sabalenka during her on-court interview: “It’s great to share the court with you — you’re a champion”
In a social media post, the athlete shared her victory and said: “What a week 😍💪🏆 Stuttgart singles champion ❤️🎾🤗Thanks everyone for support 🫶🏻🥰🙏🏻”
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Netizens expressed their excitement in the comments section and remarked: “Congratulations 👏 next level intense and one of the kindest women on tour ❤️”, “UNSTOPPABLE! Let’s now for the French Open title 🏆🔥”, “Congrats on a great tournament and victory!”, and “So happy for you. When you’re playing your best you’re unstoppable.”
Defeated by Ostapenko, three-time Grand Slam winner Aryna Sabalenka has now lost four finals in Stuttgart over the last five seasons. Moreover, she is still waiting for her first clay court victory since the 2023 Madrid Open.
Highlights of the match
Ostapenko came out strong right from the start, breaking Sabalenka’s serve in the first game of the match. She did the same at the start of the second set, which seemed to take the fight out of Sabalenka as she began showing signs of frustration as the match continued. At one point in the second set, Sabalenka fell to the clay, but quickly signalled to both Ostapenko and the umpire that she wasn’t injured, just off balance.
The unseeded player was determined to win, and managed to secure the title that capped off her impressive run in the Stuttgart Open. Earlier in the tournament, she defeated world number two and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals in one of the biggest wins this season. She also cruised past Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets in the semifinals.
This is a personal breakthrough for Ostapenko because it was her first victory over Aryna Sabalenka after being defeated in their previous three matches. Moreover, due to her exceptional performance, she will now rise six spots in the WTA rankings, moving up to 18th in the world.