The rivalry between Jelena Ostapenko and Iga Swiatek has become one of the most unusual in modern tennis. Despite Swiatek’s dominance on clay and her status as World No. 2, Ostapenko entered their sixth encounter at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart with a perfect 5-0 record against her—and she extended it with another impressive win. Even on Stuttgart’s slick clay, a surface where Swiatek has reigned, Ostapenko came out on top and advanced to the final with confidence and renewed purpose.
The 2017 Roland Garros champion made it clear that her clay-court abilities should not be overlooked. “She’s a great clay-court player, but I won Roland Garros, so I can say the same thing for myself,” she stated after the match. The win was more than a streak-breaker—it was a statement that she’s back in form and ready to contend again.
Ostapenko followed her victory over Swiatek with another strong performance, defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, in just under 90 minutes. Despite Alexandrova’s past clay-court success against her, Ostapenko dominated this time, dropping serve only once and maintaining control throughout. It was her first final on clay in nearly eight years and vaulted her back into the WTA top 20.
Her resurgence has been building. After reaching the final in Doha earlier in the year, her momentum stalled—but something clicked in Stuttgart. She beat top players like Emma Navarro and Swiatek, reclaiming her self-belief. “I always believed in myself and that’s the most important thing. I believe I can beat everyone,” she said.
Jelena Ostapenko is back on the WTA top 20 next week.
“I always knew my game was there. I always believed in myself and that’s the most important thing. I believe I can beat everyone”.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) April 20, 2025
Now, a major challenge awaits: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who’s been runner-up in Stuttgart three times in the last four years and is still chasing her first title—and that symbolic Porsche. Sabalenka came through a tough draw, including a win over Jasmine Paolini, and remains the top seed still standing.
Though Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 3-0 and has largely dominated their previous matchups, she isn’t taking anything for granted. “She’s playing great tennis. Doesn’t matter what happened in the past,” she said of Ostapenko. “I’m gonna fight for this beautiful car behind me.”
Regardless of the outcome, history is on the line. Ostapenko has a chance to join an elite group of players who’ve beaten both the World No. 1 and No. 2 at the same tournament this season. She’s already made headlines—now, she’s aiming for a crown.