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Jelena Ostapenko stunned World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Monday to claim the Stuttgart Open title, defeating the Belarusian in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, in just under an hour and a half (1h25). It marked her first win against Sabalenka after three previous losses, the most recent being a straight-sets defeat on clay at the WTA 1000 event in Rome last year.
Ostapenko’s road to the title wasn’t easy. In the quarterfinals on Thursday, she delivered another impressive performance, this time toppling World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. That match lasted just over two hours (2h07) and extended Ostapenko’s undefeated streak against Swiatek to six matches. The Polish star is a four-time Roland-Garros champion (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024), making Ostapenko’s victory all the more notable.
In Monday’s final, the Latvian relied heavily on her strong first serve, landing nearly 60% of them and winning more than 80% of points behind it. She consistently applied pressure on Sabalenka’s serve and sealed the match with a blazing cross-court forehand return winner.
“Big thanks to my team, who always support me through the ups and downs. I know I’m not always the easiest,” Ostapenko said with a smile after the win.
At 27 (she turns 28 on June 8), this was Ostapenko’s first final on clay since her breakthrough Roland-Garros triumph in 2017. The Stuttgart title marks her ninth career WTA title and her first since winning in Linz, Austria, on hard court in February 2024.
A Fourth Stuttgart Final Defeat for Sabalenka
Ranked No. 24 at the start of the tournament, Ostapenko will move up to No. 18 in next week’s WTA rankings. Her victory signals a strong start to the European clay season, which continues with the WTA 1000 events in Madrid (beginning Tuesday), Rome, and ultimately the French Open from May 25 to June 8.
For Sabalenka, Stuttgart continues to be a frustrating venue. This was her fourth defeat in a final at the tournament, which consistently draws a field comparable to a WTA 1000 event — this year featuring six of the top seven players in the world.
Previously, Sabalenka fell to World No. 1s in each of her three final appearances: Ashleigh Barty in 2021, and Iga Swiatek in both 2022 and 2023. Against Ostapenko, Sabalenka struggled to find rhythm on serve, landing just 52% of her first serves and winning only half of those points (18 of 34).
This year’s final was unusually held on a Monday due to the Easter calendar. In Germany, Good Friday is a public holiday where sporting events are banned unless an exception is granted — something only the ATP tournament in Munich was able to secure. As a result, the final rounds of the WTA Stuttgart event were pushed back by one day.
