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Aryna Sabalenka battled through a tense encounter to book her spot in a fourth final at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. The world No. 1 now stands just one match away from capturing her elusive first title at the prestigious clay event — but clay-court powerhouse Jelena Ostapenko is the last hurdle in her path.
Top-seeded Sabalenka, runner-up here from 2021 to 2023, got off to a dominant start in her semifinal against fifth seed Jasmine Paolini, racing to a 3-0 lead. Although the spirited Italian fought back to level at 5-5, Sabalenka regained control to close out the first set by winning two straight games.
In a twist of momentum, Paolini surged ahead 3-0 in the second, but Sabalenka won six of the next seven games to wrap up the 7-5 6-4 victory and return to familiar territory — the Stuttgart final.
In the other semifinal, Ostapenko continued her inspired run with a composed 6-4 6-4 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Latvian, fresh off her stunning quarterfinal upset of five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, was aggressive and confident throughout. Despite dropping serve once early, Ostapenko dictated play with blistering groundstrokes — particularly off her fearsome forehand — leaving Alexandrova scrambling to stay in rallies.
Heading into Monday’s final, Ostapenko is riding high, brimming with confidence and belief in her game. Sabalenka, however, may be carrying the emotional weight of three consecutive Stuttgart final defeats — losing to Ashleigh Barty in 2021 and to Swiatek in both 2022 and 2023.
Still, history favors the Belarusian. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 3-0 against Ostapenko, including a straight-sets win on clay in Rome last year. Plus, she enters the final relatively fresh, having skipped the earlier rounds and completed two wins in under 24 hours without dropping a set.
