Jelena Ostapenko shocks top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka to claim Stuttgart title
Ostapenko won her ninth career WTA singles title and her first on clay
STUTTGART: Jelena Ostapenko stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-1 to win the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart on Monday.
It was one of the most sensational displays of game awareness, power, and accuracy by the Latvian star.
Ostapenko delivered a dominant performance from the start of the match. She broke Sabalenka early and controlled the match with aggression as Sabalenka struggled from the first serve, allowing Ostapenko to capitalise.
This marked Sabalenka's fourth consecutive final defeat in Stuttgart, having previously lost in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Despite her impressive season, with titles in Brisbane and Miami, the Stuttgart would have held special significance for the Belarusian.
On the other hand, Ostapenko won her ninth career WTA singles title and her first on clay since her French Open triumph in 2017.
Ostapenko's path to the title was formidable, including a quarter-final victory over world number two Iga Swiatek, extending her unbeaten record against the Polish star to 6–0.
She also defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semi-final before her final triumph over Sabalenka.
With this victory, Jelena Ostapenko became the first unseeded champion in Stuttgart since 2017 and set a strong precedent as the clay-court season progresses towards the French Open.
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