Aryna Sabalenka`s wait is over! She finally played and won her first match at the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
After reaching the quarterfinals without playing a single match, the world`s top player, Sabalenka, defeated her former doubles partner Elise Mertens with a score of 6-4, 6-1 in their quarterfinal match in Stuttgart on Saturday night.
Patience Pays Off: Following a bye in the first round, Sabalenka didn`t have to play in the second round either because her opponent, Anastasia Potapova, withdrew due to injury. Therefore, Saturday evening`s quarterfinal was her first match this week.
World No. 29 Mertens definitely challenged Sabalenka in the first set. The Belgian player took a lead by breaking serve at 4-3 and was just one point away from being ahead 5-4 and serving for the first set.
However, Sabalenka managed to win that game and take a 5-4 lead. From that point on, the top-seeded player was virtually unstoppable, starting by breaking serve to win the first set.
In total, Sabalenka broke Mertens` serve in three of her last four service games, while the World No. 1 also performed exceptionally well on her own serve.
Sabalenka won her last two service games to love, securing victory against a player with whom she has made Grand Slam history. Sabalenka and Mertens won doubles titles together at the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open.
Coming Up Next: The quarterfinal match later on Saturday between No. 4 seed Coco Gauff and No. 5 seed Jasmine Paolini will decide Sabalenka`s opponent in the semifinal. Sabalenka`s record is 4-2 against Paolini and 4-5 against Gauff.
Sabalenka is aiming to reach her fourth Stuttgart final in the last five years. She was a runner-up in 2021, 2022, and 2023 but has not yet won the title.
More updates to follow…
Rupert Caldwell