Jelena Ostapenko`s impressive record against Iga Swiatek remains unbroken, regardless of the tournament, location, or even Swiatek`s preferred playing surface.
In their first clay-court match on Saturday at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, extended her head-to-head record against Swiatek to 6-0. She won 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the semifinals of the WTA 500 event for the first time.
Ostapenko has now defeated Swiatek on all court types, including four hard-court victories and one grass-court win. Swiatek entered the match with an 11-1 record in Stuttgart. Two months prior, Ostapenko defeated Swiatek 6-3, 6-1 in Doha. While Saturday`s match was more challenging and lasted 2 hours and 7 minutes, the outcome remained the same.
Ostapenko started strongly, winning the first four games and breaking Swiatek`s serve three times to win the first set. Although World No. 2 Swiatek responded in the second set, winning the final three games, Ostapenko dominated the deciding set, winning 12 of the first 15 points to establish a lead she maintained to secure the victory.
`I think I was playing at maybe an 8 or 9 out of 10 today,` Ostapenko admitted after the match. `I believe I could have won in two sets, as I rushed a bit in the second set. However, overall, I think my performance was strong.`
`Of course, she is a fantastic player. Playing against her is always a difficult battle. I always expect a tough match. But I felt confident in crucial moments that I would have opportunities to win.`
Ostapenko`s victory ensures an unseeded player will reach the final in Stuttgart. She will now face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semifinals. World No. 22 Alexandrova defeated No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 6-0, 6-4 in the first quarterfinal on Saturday.
