Unseeded Jelena Ostapenko stunned world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets to capture the Porsche Grand Prix title on Monday, sealing one of the biggest upsets of the clay-court season.
The Latvian powered past the top seed 6-4, 6-1 in Stuttgart, breaking Sabalenka’s serve twice in a fiercely contested opening set that lasted just under an hour. She then raced through the second set in just 28 minutes to complete the rout.
While Sabalenka fired six aces to Ostapenko’s four, it was the Latvian’s relentless return game that made the difference, as she broke serve six times to claim the trophy.
In the second set, Sabalenka won just 10 points – only five on serve. Ostapenko closed out the match with an emphatic forehand return winner, defeating Sabalenka for the first time in four attempts.
The 26-year-old Belarusian owns three Grand Slam titles and 19 career titles overall but was aiming for her first win at the Porsche Grand Prix.
This marked Sabalenka’s fourth loss in a final at the Stuttgart tournament.
“Great week, great tournament. Not for me every year, not for me, but maybe next year,” Sabalenka said at the trophy presentation.
Earlier in the tournament, Ostapenko defeated second-seeded Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
“I’m really, really happy with my performance in general this week. I was ready to play every single player because the draw here is so small. You have to be ready for the best, and I did that,” she said in an interview with wtatennis.com.
“I think the game was already very good, but I have been working on my mental stuff. I understand what I have to do now. I believe in myself,” Ostapenko added.
The victory in Stuttgart is her ninth career title.
“Thank you so much for this atmosphere here,” Ostapenko told the fans. “It’s amazing. I just love to play here.”
The 27-year-old Ostapenko won the French Open in 2017 with a high-risk, big-hitting game full of improbable winners. It remains her only major title. She reached a career-best ranking of No. 5 the following year and is now ranked No. 24.