Iga Swiatek title drought continues as Jelena Ostapenko becomes 3rd woman to achieve stunning feat

Jelena Ostapenko maintained her stronghold over Iga Swiatek by securing a three-set win to advance to the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open. The Latvian player triumphed over the world number two, Swiatek, with scores of 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, marking her sixth consecutive victory against the Polish athlete. Ostapenko has now become the first player to defeat the five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek across all surfaces—once on grass, four times on hard courts, and now once on clay.

Ostapenko surged into a 4-0 lead early in the match, breaking Swiatek’s serve three times to take the opening set convincingly. Although Swiatek fought back to level the match by winning the second set, Ostapenko quickly regained control in the deciding set, winning 12 of the first 15 points and sealing the match with a decisive forehand winner.

Swiatek, who entered the match with an impressive 11-1 record on Stuttgart clay and as a two-time tournament champion, struggled to counter Ostapenko’s aggressive groundstrokes, which often rushed her forehand and led to errors. Ostapenko recorded 29 winners compared to Swiatek’s 17, while Swiatek’s eight double faults further hampered her performance.

In her on-court interview, Ostapenko acknowledged Swiatek’s clay-court prowess but confidently noted her own credentials as a 2017 French Open champion. She said, “She (Swiatek) is a great clay-court player as well. But you know, I won French Open. So I can say about myself the same thing.” Ostapenko also expressed respect for Swiatek and her team but emphasized the fierce competition whenever they meet.

Ostapenko will face Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semi-finals, who recently defeated third seed Jessica Pegula. Meanwhile, world number one Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals without playing, as her opponent withdrew due to injury.

This loss extends Swiatek’s title drought and her struggle against Ostapenko, who now holds a perfect 6-0 record against her, including this first win on clay. Swiatek has not reached a final since winning the French Open in June last year, highlighting a challenging phase in her 2025 season.