World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has once again reached the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, marking her fourth appearance in the last five years. This time, she aims to finally win the Stuttgart title.
In a tight semifinal match, Sabalenka, the top seed, defeated No. 5 seed Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 6-4. This victory was a repeat of her Miami Open semifinal win against Paolini just last month.
Sabalenka described it as a very challenging match, praising Paolini`s excellent play and determination. She expressed her satisfaction with the hard-fought win and excitement about reaching another final in Stuttgart.
Sabalenka`s opponent in the final will be Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia. Ostapenko secured her place in the final by defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-4 in the first semifinal of the day. This is Ostapenko`s second final of the year.
Sabalenka has a perfect 3-0 record against Ostapenko, including a straight-sets win on clay in Rome last year.
Sabalenka has had a demanding weekend, playing two matches in under 24 hours without dropping a set. Despite this, Jasmine Paolini made both sets competitive in their semifinal.
Sabalenka started strong against Paolini, gaining a 3-0 lead with two breaks. However, Paolini fought back, leveling the score at 5-5 in the first set, remarkably without making any unforced errors.
Despite Paolini`s resilience, Sabalenka managed to secure the first set, breaking again for 6-5 and serving it out.
In the second set, Paolini took an early 3-0 lead, but Sabalenka quickly recovered. She broke back to level at 3-2 and then took the lead at 5-4, eventually winning the match with a forehand.
Sabalenka finished the match with 30 winners and successfully converted six out of eight break points.
Sabalenka hopes to finally win the Stuttgart final after losing in her previous three attempts. She was defeated by Ashleigh Barty in 2021 and by Iga Swiatek in both 2022 and 2023 finals.
Sabalenka emphasized her strong desire to win this year, stating that winning in Stuttgart has become a major goal for her after multiple final losses. She is determined to play her best in the final.
Earlier on Sunday, Jelena Ostapenko defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets to reach the final.
Ostapenko and Alexandrova had a long history, having played each other 10 times prior to this semifinal, with a 5-5 head-to-head record. Alexandrova had won their previous two matches on clay.
However, Ostapenko reversed the trend, reaching her first WTA clay-court singles final in almost eight years, since her 2017 French Open victory.
Ostapenko`s aggressive play was key in the first set, hitting 12 winners compared to Alexandrova`s six. This continued her momentum from her quarterfinal win against Iga Swiatek.
Ostapenko continued her powerful play in the second set, breaking early to lead 2-1. Alexandrova had a chance to break back at 4-3, but Ostapenko held her serve.
Serving for the match, Ostapenko hit an ace at 30-30 to reach match point and won the match when Alexandrova returned into the net. This victory takes Ostapenko to her 18th WTA singles final.
Ostapenko acknowledged the difficulty of the match, praising Alexandrova`s powerful shots. She was pleased with her own performance and winning in two sets.
