It’s starting to feel like fate. Once again, Iga Swiatek finds herself up against Jelena Ostapenko — a matchup that has been nothing short of a nightmare for the world No. 1.
Despite her dominant reign on the WTA Tour, Swiatek has never beaten Ostapenko in five previous encounters. In fact, she’s only managed to win two sets across all those matches. The most recent blow came in Doha earlier this year, where a confident Ostapenko dismissed her in straight sets.
But this time, there’s a twist.
For the first time in their rivalry, Swiatek and Ostapenko will clash on clay — Swiatek’s fortress. Four of their previous matches were on hard courts and one on grass, but none on the surface where the Polish star truly shines. And with Saturday’s quarterfinal at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix set, fans are wondering: is the sixth time finally the charm?
Of course, Ostapenko isn’t exactly a stranger to clay either. She famously won the 2017 French Open and has called Stuttgart one of her favorite tournaments — this year marking her best-ever run there.
Swiatek, known for dishing out breadsticks (6–1 set wins) and bagels (6–0), has ironically been on the receiving end from Ostapenko — three breadsticks and one brutal bagel back in 2019. If revenge is on Swiatek’s mind, there’s no better setting than this clay showdown.
Their match is just one of four high-stakes quarterfinals lighting up a tournament that had a sluggish start due to injuries and withdrawals. Saturday’s action opens with a rematch between Elena Alexandrova and Jessica Pegula, followed by the Swiatek-Ostapenko grudge match. Then Aryna Sabalenka makes her tournament debut against Elise Mertens, and the day ends with Coco Gauff facing off against Jasmine Paolini.
Clay court drama, high emotions, and rivalries renewed — Stuttgart is finally heating up.
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