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Iga Swiatek still appears to be searching for answers when it comes to facing Jelena Ostapenko, as the Latvian once again proved to be her kryptonite. Recently at the Stuttgart Open, Ostapenko handed Swiatek another tough loss — this time in the quarterfinals — denying her a shot at the title despite being just two wins away.
Swiatek hasn’t had the smoothest ride in 2025 so far. She fell short of clinching her sixth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier in January and has yet to lift a trophy this season. Her trip to Stuttgart was meant to be a shot at redemption and also a chance to drive away with her third Porsche.
The Pole began her campaign with a confident win over Jana Fett, but her road hit a familiar bump soon after. She was drawn against her long-time nemesis, Jelena Ostapenko — a player she had never managed to beat in five previous encounters. Their sixth meeting didn’t break the pattern either, as the Latvian once again got the better of her opponent with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory.
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But instead of offering sympathy or support, many fans took to social media to criticize Iga Swiatek for what they perceived as unsportsmanlike behavior. Their frustration stemmed from her interaction with Jelena Ostapenko at the net, where she appeared to give a rather dry handshake.
"Not everyone is gracious in defeats like Novak Djokovic," one fan on X wrote.
"Clown tek is truly a fraud of the highest order. Her delusional cult fans really thought Penko wouldn’t own her on clay LMAO. Just proves she completely fluked against Osaka last year at RG. Mid tek is a lower elite vulture," another wrote.
One account posted:
"Handshake [vomiting face]. Ostapenko owns her."
"Iga clowntek is so so unlikeable man," one user commented.
"@iga_swiatek, please try and be more gracious in losing? At least look at your opponent when you give the cold fish handshake? Say well played or something?" another added.
One account tweeted:
"What a looser as always floptek at her finest."
Iga Swiatek comments on her Stuttgart loss against Jelena Ostapenko
Iga Swiatek sat down for a press conference following her quarterfinal loss to Jelena Ostapenko at the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and reflected on what went wrong. She admitted that although Ostapenko wasn't playing at her best, she herself failed to capitalize on key opportunities.
Swiatek said:
"Well, I think today was a tight match, so for sure I had my chances to win. Before, like, for sure, like, these matches were different. Like, she went for it and she was smashing every ball kind of perfectly."
"Today she didn't, she made some mistakes. I had my chances. I just didn't use them," she added.
Iga Swiatek will now shift her focus to the Madrid Open, where she is the defending champion. Meanwhile, Jelena Ostapenko will gear up for her semifinal clash against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
