Jelena Ostapenko enjoyed a fantastic week at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, culminating in a victory over No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka. She defeated Sabalenka 6-4, 6-1 in the final, securing her ninth career title on the Hologic WTA Tour. This win also marks Ostapenko`s first title on clay since her Roland Garros triumph in 2017.
Key Stats from Ostapenko`s Victory
Ranked No. 24, Ostapenko ended Miami champion Sabalenka`s eight-match winning streak and improved her record against World No. 1s to 3-1. Her previous wins include victories over Garbiñe Muguruza at Wuhan 2017 and Iga Swiatek at the 2023 US Open.
This week, Ostapenko also defeated Swiatek in the quarterfinals, maintaining a perfect 6-0 record against her. She becomes only the ninth player to beat both Sabalenka and Swiatek in the same tournament, and the first to achieve this feat on clay since Swiatek became No. 1 in 2021.
Ostapenko`s record for 2025 is now 12-9. Notably, she is 4-0 against Top 10 players this year, with three of those wins coming this week alone.
Her overall record in finals is now balanced at nine wins and nine losses. Ostapenko stands out as the only active player to have reached finals on all major court surfaces: outdoor hard, indoor hard, carpet, grass, green clay, outdoor red clay, and indoor red clay. Excluding carpet, she is one of only three active players with titles on outdoor hard, indoor hard, grass, outdoor clay, and indoor clay, alongside Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova.
How Ostapenko Secured the Win
In their previous three matches, Ostapenko had only managed to win one set against Sabalenka, often losing sets by wide margins. Sabalenka`s powerful serve and consistent accuracy were usually the deciding factors.
However, this time Ostapenko reversed the trend. She dominated on her first serve, winning 81% of those points. She also read Sabalenka`s serve better than before, limiting Sabalenka to just 53% first-serve points won. This allowed Ostapenko to consistently pressure Sabalenka`s serve, creating 11 break point opportunities and converting six, while facing only three break points herself (Sabalenka converted two).
Ostapenko demonstrated excellent match management. She started aggressively, breaking immediately to lead 2-0. Sabalenka held on, eventually breaking back to level at 4-4. But Ostapenko responded immediately, breaking again for 5-4 and then serving out the first set after a tense 57 minutes.
From 4-4 in the first set, Ostapenko won eight of the next nine games. In the second set, Sabalenka scored only 10 points, with just five on her serve. Ostapenko sealed the victory in 1 hour and 25 minutes with consecutive return winners.
Ostapenko`s Post-Match Thoughts
After her victory, Ostapenko shared with the press that she had a feeling of winning from the moment she arrived in Stuttgart.
“Honestly, I didn`t tell anyone, but I felt very confident from the first day,” she said. “I had a strange feeling, in a good way. When I came here, I felt like something good was going to happen this week. I pretty much felt that I could win this tournament because I think I’m improving day by day and playing better and better. Yes, I think I deserve it.”
This feeling culminated in a remarkable performance against an opponent she had never defeated before.
“Obviously, I played her a few times, and I analyzed those matches and knew what I needed to do differently today,” Ostapenko explained. “I think I was more confident and played with more determination today than in the past.”
