Jelena Ostapenko produced a masterful display to beat Aryna Sabalenka and win the Stuttgart title, her first since her classic French Open victory in 2017. The Latvian superstar dominated the World No. 2 in straight sets, demonstrating her signature aggressive baseline tennis and mental strength.
Ostapenko, who has enjoyed a patchy record in the past few years, was at her best here as she shattered Sabalenka’s big hitting with clever striking and intelligent change. Her steadiness on the serve and intrepid shot-striking ultimately proved too difficult for the beleaguered Belarusian to overcome, having gone in quest of her inaugural Stuttgart crown.
The victory is a major highlight in Ostapenko’s career, reaffirming her clay-court skills leading into the European clay-court swing and Roland Garros. It is also a confidence booster as she continues to ascend the WTA rankings.
In her post-match interview, Ostapenko attributed her team for instilling confidence in her game once again. “This victory means a lot to me,” she said. “It’s been a long road, but I always thought that I could do it again on clay.”
