Jelena Ostapenko warns WTA Tour after blockbuster run to Stuttgart final

Jelena Ostapenko said that she's yet to play a perfect match in her WTA career. The Latvian defeated Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-4, to reach the final of the Stuttgart Open. World-ranked No. 24, Ostapenko reached her first clay-court final since she beat Simona Halep to win the 2017 French Open.

Ostapenko has seen a return to form in Stuttgart. She'd struggled for wins after reaching the final in Qatar, but she has beaten the second seed and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and seventh seed Emma Navarro en route to the final in Germany. Ostapenko has a final to look forward to against either Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed, or Jasmine Paolini.

Ostapenko was asked at the post-match interview, in the wake of her comfortable win over Alexandrova, if she ever became dejected in a match when missing a shot. In a video posted on The Tennis Letter's X page, she replied:

"You know I just get really mad that I lose that ball coz I'm super competitive, I wanna win every single ball. I know that's not possible, but you know I'm just a perfectionist, so sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad, but I try to get all these negative emotions out and then I'm ready for the next point."

The 27-year-old was then asked if she'd ever played the perfect match. The self-proclaimed perfectionist agreed that while that might not be possible, perfection was her goal:

"I don't think it will ever happen because I'm a super-perfectionist, you know sometimes I play unbelievable, and for me that's still not enough you know hopefully I will just not be too hard with myself, I will, how you say, be proud of myself anyways."

Jelena Ostapenko is in her 13th year on the WTA Tour. She's claimed five Tour titles and has been ranked as high as No. 5 in the world.

After her Stuttgart exploits, Jelena Ostapenko will move back into the world's top 20

Tennis: WTA Tour - Stuttgart... - Source: Getty

Jelena Ostapenko has good cause to believe that she can beat any player in the world. Her win over Iga Swiatek, the former World No. 1 and five-time Major winner, was her sixth in succession over the Pole. It was also her second clay court victory over Swiatek, who has won the Stuttgart tournament twice before.

Speaking after the match, Ostapenko welcomed her return to the top 20 and reiterated her belief that on her day, she's unbeatable. Top tennis journalist Jose Morgado reported her words on his X account.

"I always knew my game was there. I always believed in myself, and that's the most important thing. I believe I can beat everyone."

Despite her confidence, Jelena Ostapenko will hope she's not up against Sabalenka. The World No. 1 leads their head-to-head 3-0, including a comfortable 6-2, 6-4 win on clay in the quarterfinal in Rome last year.