Why Iga Swiatek fans are strangely celebrating Jelena Ostapenko beating Aryna Sabalenka in Stuttgart final

Tennis fans, along with fans of Iga Swiatek recently reacted to Jelena Ostapenko's win over Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. This year, Ostapenko also triumphed over Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the tournament

Ostapenko began her campaign at the WTA 500 clay court tournament by defeating Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 3-0 retd. in the first round and then overcame Emma Navarro 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in the second round.

In the quarterfinals, the Latvian outplayed the second seed Iga Swiatek with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 and then secured a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semifinals, ultimately clinching the title by defeating top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6–4, 6–1. This was her ninth career WTA Tour singles title and her first singles title on clay since her 2017 French Open win where she overcame Simona Halep in the final.

Jelena Ostapenko's win over Sabalenka strangely drew various celebratory reactions from Iga Swiatek fans, despite the Latvian defeating the Pole in the tournament. The fans took to social media to express their thoughts on the win

One fan praised Ostapenko's performance as "impressive" and suggested that Iga Swiatek fans should take solace and feel "bit better" in the former World No.1's performance against the "focused" Latvian.

"Well done Penko! Very impressive. Never seen her so focused over the course of 3 matches. And does it make Iga fans feel a bit better?" a fan posted.

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Another fan expressed that they were "shocked" at Jelena Ostapenko's title win and they highlighted that Iga Swiatek was the only player who posed a challenge by pushing the former World No.5 to three sets.

"Not gonna lie. Shocked by this result. Turns out, @iga_swiatek played Penko tougher than anyone else including Sabby--and pushed her to a third set," a fan wrote.

"She absolutely bossed that match. That return to win was sublime. Happy for her!" a fan posted.

"Sublime performance!!! Took out the world #2 and #1 en route to the championship. Incredible!" a fan wrote.

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Here are some other fan reactions:

"So she took out World No. 2 and 1 consecutively. Great work Jelena. Been sleeping on her game 🔥💥," a fan posted.

"She's absolutely fearless, that's what makes her so fun to watch," a fan wrote.

"I do feel like penko has at least one more slam in her," a fan posted.

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In addition to her singles campaign, Jelena Ostapenko also competed in the doubles event with Dayana Yastremska at the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The duo secured a victory over Nastasja Schunk and Ella Seidel 7-6(3), 6-1 in the first round before losing to Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani 7-6(1), 7-5, [9-11] in the quarterfinals.

Jelena Ostapenko will next compete at the 2025 Madrid Open

Jelena Ostapenko at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Jelena Ostapenko will next compete at the 2025 Madrid Open which is scheduled to run from April 22, 2025 to May 3, 2025. The matches of the tournament will be played on the outdoor clay courts at the Caja Magica in Manzanares Park, Spain.

Last year, Ostapenko was seeded ninth at the WTA 1000 clay court tournament and she started her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She defeated qualifiers Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 6-1, and Maria Lourdes Carle 6-3, 6-3 in the second and third rounds, respectively before being eliminated in the fourth round by eighth seed Ons Jabeur, losing 6-0, 6-4.

This year, Jelena Ostapenko is seeded 23rd at the Madrid Open and will begin her journey in the second round after a first-round bye. Her first opponent will be the winner of the first round match between compatriot Anastasija Sevastova or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Ostapenko has faced Sevastova twice on the WTA Tour, losing both matches. Their most recent encounter was in the first round of the 2019 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, which Sevastova won 6-2, 4-6, 6-0.

On the other, Jelena Ostapenko has played against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova six times on the WTA Tour, winning five of those matches. Their most recent meeting was in the semifinals of the 2024 Linz Open, where the former World No.5 emerged victorious with a score of 6-2, 6-3. She then went on to defeat Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final to claim the title .

About the author

Since joining Sportskeeda as a journalist in January 2023, Sreeja has remained steadfast in delivering thorough coverage of the tennis world. Her bachelor's degree in English has proven invaluable, with over 1000 articles already under her belt for the company.

While writing, Sreeja prioritizes reliability by sourcing information from credible outlets and presenting various perspectives to her readers. She regularly keeps track of updates by closely monitoring the official websites of WTA and ATP, as well as the social media profiles of prominent journalists.

Sreeja draws inspiration from Rafael Nadal's unparalleled dominance on clay courts and Steffi Graf's remarkable career trajectory, while also holding Novak Djokovic in high esteem. Her passion for tennis reaches its peak during the Australian Open and the French Open, particularly relishing the clay court matches.

When she is not collecting information about tennis, she fills her time with reading and playing darts while also keeping her finger on the pulse of pop culture.

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Edited by Sreeja Banik