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Aryna Sabalenka was in no mood to collect her runner-up trophy at the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. The World No. 1 amusingly refused to approach the podium after losing the final yet again.
Sabalenka, the top seed, was crushed in the WTA 500 final on Monday, April 21, by unseeded Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets. The champion staged a remarkable performance across the week, prevailing against the likes of Dayana Yastremska, Emma Navarro, two-time champion Iga Swiatek, and Ekaterina Alexandrova, before her 6-4, 6-1 victory against Aryna Sabalenka.
Ostapenko, who maintained her aggression throughout the contest, required one hour and 26 minutes to finish the job. In doing so, she lifted her ninth career title and first claycourt trophy since her 2017 French Open success.
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For Sabalenka, meanwhile, the defeat was her fourth in a Stuttgart final. She was the runner-up at the tournament for three consecutive years between 2021 and 2023, losing to Ashleigh Barty once and Iga Swiatek twice.
Interestingly, both Barty and Swiatek were ranked World No. 1 when they clinched the title and the Porsche. Sabalenka thus hoped for her ranking to do the trick this year, having entered the WTA 500 event as the No. 1 for the first time.
"I really believe that all those times (the losses) were just because I played the World No. 1, so I became World No. 1. Hopefully it’s going to help me somehow," she quipped in one of her on-court interviews.
Aryna Sabalenka also begged Jelena Ostapenko to let her win the Porsche in another on-court interview before the final.
"Please, I beg you. Please; please. I need this car. I want to put this thing (tick-mark gesture) next to the goal."
However, after failing to accomplish the goal, the three-time Grand Slam champion hilariously refused to accept the second-place trophy.
Watch the amusing video here:
Sabalenka started her Stuttgart journey directly in the quarterfinals on Saturday, April 19. She had a bye in the first round, after which she was handed a walkover by an injured Anastasia Potapova. She made her way to the title clash with convincing wins against Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals and Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals.
Aryna Sabalenka to begin her quest for the 2025 Madrid Open title this week
Aryna Sabalenka will hardly have any time to reflect on her devastating loss at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. She's expected to head to Madrid (April 23-May 4), where she chases her third title after 2021 and 2023.
The 26-year-old fell one win short last year, ending her title defense against Iga Swiatek in a repeat final. She starts her 2025 campaign against either a qualifier or a lucky loser in the second round after an opening-round bye.
Sabalenka is looking for her third title of the season and 20th overall at the event after Brisbane and Miami triumphs. A victory in Madrid will get the World No. 1 her ninth trophy in the WTA 1000 category.
