STUTTGART, Germany — Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko powered into the Stuttgart Grand Prix final on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over fellow unseeded player Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The 27-year-old will meet world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who worked hard for a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini to reach her fourth final in five years.
Ostapenko, who stunned five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek earlier in the quarterfinals, got off to a strong start against Alexandrova with a break in the first game. She was broken straight back but earned another one quickly to go 4-2 up.
“I don’t know but I feel amazing playing here,” Ostapenko said. “So pumped up. Those kinds of matches, winning three sets, gives you confidence. … I am very happy with myself.”
Alexandrova struggled with her opponent’s thundering groundstrokes, and especially her forehand.
Sabalenka, a three-time finalist in Stuttgart between 2021-23, jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set, but Paolini fought back before losing 7-5.
The tables were turned in the second with the diminutive Italian punishing a sloppy Sabalenka to lead 3-0. Sabalenka, however, clawed back to tie it at 3, and she fired a sensational crosscourt forehand winner on her first match point to seal victory.
“She makes me work, work for every point,” Sabalenka said of Paolini. “It is hard to get the win. I was just trying to stay aggressive, to put as much pressure on her.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
