2 weeks Ago
World No. 18 Jelena Ostapenko, unseeded, won 6-4, 6-1 to win her first title on clay since her 2017 French Open win, beating Aryna Sabalenka. World No.
1 tennis player Aryna Sabalenka on Monday was seen refusing to accept the runners-up trophy at the Stuttgart Open, after she lost her fourth final of the tournament and was denied a chance at winning the Porsche, which is awarded to the winner of the tournament, for the fourth time. World No. 18 Jelena Ostapenko, unseeded, won 6-4, 6-1 to win her first title on clay since her 2017 French Open win.
Ostapenko had come into the final with wins over seventh-seed Emma Navarro in the Round of 16 and second-seed Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinal. Watch the video here: Ostapenko cruised to the win against Sabalenka, converting her first match point to lift her first WTA singles trophy since February 2024. Sabalenka was the runner-up in Stuttgart for three successive years between 2021 and 2023, losing to Ashleigh Barty once and twice to Swiatek.
Both Barty and Swiatek were ranked World No. 1 when they bagged the title and the Porsche, but Sabalenka missed out on joining the elite list. “I believe that all those times (the losses) were just because I played the World No.
1, so I became World No. 1. Hopefully it’s going to help me somehow," Sabalenka had said ahead of the match.
“Please, I beg you (Ostapenko). Please, please. I need this car.
I want to put this thing (tick-mark gesture) next to the goal," Sabalenka added. The Belarusian began her Stuttgart campaign in the quarterfinals on Saturday, April 19. “It’s great to share the court with you (Sabalenka) — you’re a champion," Ostapenko said after winning the title.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka has now lost four finals in Stuttgart in the past five seasons. “I’m sure you hate me now because you wanted this car so badly, but I’m sure you’ll get it another time," Ostapenko said. The 26-year-old Sabalenka, who won the 2024 US and Australian Opens, is still waiting for her first tournament win on clay since the 2023 Madrid Open.
“You were a better player than me, that’s all there is to it," Sabalenka said..
