World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has once again reached the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final, her fourth time in the last five years. She is aiming to win her first ever title in Stuttgart.
In a tense semifinal match on Sunday, Sabalenka, the top seed, overcame No. 5 seed Jasmine Paolini with a score of 7-5, 6-4. The match lasted 1 hour and 35 minutes. This victory mirrors Sabalenka`s win against Paolini in the Miami Open semifinal last month.
Sabalenka described the match as very challenging, praising Paolini`s excellent play and resilience. Despite the difficulty, Sabalenka expressed her enjoyment of the intense competition and her excitement about reaching the final.
The final will see Sabalenka go head-to-head with Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia. Ostapenko secured her place in the final, her second of the year, by defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-4 in the first semifinal of the day.
Sabalenka has a perfect 3-0 record against Ostapenko, including a straight-sets win on clay in Rome last year.
Sabalenka`s Impressive Run: After not playing earlier in the week, Sabalenka has played two matches within 24 hours, winning both in straight sets. However, both sets against Paolini on Sunday were closely contested.
Sabalenka started strong in the semifinal, gaining a 3-0 lead with two breaks, thanks to her powerful returns. Paolini fought back, leveling the score at 5-5, remarkably making no unforced errors in the first set.
Despite Paolini`s clean play, Sabalenka managed to secure the first set. Another strong return gave her a break for 6-5, and she eventually served out the set.
In the second set, Paolini took an early 3-0 lead, but Sabalenka quickly responded. The World No. 1 broke back to level at 3-2 and then took the lead at 5-4 with a forehand winner.
Sabalenka sealed the victory with a final forehand winner down the line. She recorded 30 winners and converted six out of eight break points.
Sabalenka hopes to finally win the Stuttgart final after three previous losses. She was defeated by Ashleigh Barty in the 2021 final and by Iga Swiatek in both 2022 and 2023.
Sabalenka expressed her strong desire to win this time, emphasizing the importance of succeeding in Stuttgart after multiple final losses. She is determined to play her best in the upcoming final.
Ostapenko`s Strong Clay Performance: Earlier on Sunday, Ostapenko played for 1 hour and 29 minutes to beat Alexandrova, an opponent she has faced frequently.
Before this semifinal, Ostapenko and Alexandrova had played 10 times, with a 5-5 head-to-head record. Alexandrova had won their two previous matches on clay.
However, this time Ostapenko was victorious, reaching her first WTA clay-court singles final in almost eight years. Her last clay final was her significant 2017 French Open victory.
Ostapenko`s aggressive play led to 12 winners in the first set, double Alexandrova`s count. Ostapenko aimed to continue her winning streak, which included a sixth consecutive victory over former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
Ostapenko`s powerful shots continued in the second set, forcing errors from Alexandrova and securing an early break to lead 2-1. At 4-3, Alexandrova had a chance to break back, but Ostapenko held her serve with well-placed forehands.
Serving for the match, Ostapenko hit an ace at 30-30 to reach match point. Alexandrova then hit her return into the net, giving Ostapenko the win and a spot in her 18th WTA singles final.
Ostapenko acknowledged the difficulty of the match, praising Alexandrova`s strong shots. She was pleased with her own performance and happy to win in two sets.
Rupert Caldwell