Unseeded Jelena Ostapenko produced a stunning performance to defeat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-1 to win the clay court title in Stuttgart on Monday.
The Latvian capped off an impressive tournament, which saw her dump world number two Iga Swiatek out earlier in the tournament, with her first singles title of the year.
Ostapenko brought her best game to the court by brushing aside Sabalenka to win her first title on clay since her 2017 Roland Garros Grand Slam victory.
Surprisingly, Sabalenka struggled to cope with Ostapenko’s fierce baseline power and her serve all through the clash.
Ostapenko won the first set, and she quickly raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set, winning 16 of 18 points to break Sabalenka twice.
Ostapenko was delighted to win the competition, winning her first clay trophy since 2017.
She said, “Congrats, Aryna, on a great week. I think you hate me now because you wanted this car so badly.
“Every time I come here, I enjoy it so much, and thanks to everyone for making this week amazing for me. I am really happy today.
‟I felt very confident from the very first day. I had this strange but also good feeling that something special could happen here. I reckon I’ve earned it.”
Sabalenka has now suffered four defeats in the last five finals in Stuttgart.
She admitted that her performance was not good enough in the final.
Sabalenka said, I didn’t play my best tennis on the important points, and in the end, Jelena was simply brutally good. I’ve lost a lot of close finals. Learn the lesson and move on – that’s my plan. I’ll try to do better next year.”
Ostapenko will receive the prize money of $162,181 thanks to her triumph, while runner-up Sabalenka has been rewarded with a cheque of $99,878.
The 27-year-old has won eight WTA Tour-level singles and ten doubles titles, including a singles major at the 2017 French Open and a doubles major at the 2024 US Open.
She is the first Latvian to win a major in singles or doubles.
