Jelena Ostapenko`s dominance over Iga Swiatek continues, proving effective across all tournaments, venues, and even Swiatek`s preferred playing surface.
In their inaugural clay-court encounter at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the 2017 Roland Garros champion extended her head-to-head record against the Polish player to 6-0. Ostapenko achieved a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory to reach the semifinals of the WTA 500 event for the first time.
She has now defeated Swiatek on every surface, including four hard-court wins and one grass-court win. Swiatek entered the match with an 11-1 record in Stuttgart. Two months prior in Doha, Ostapenko defeated Swiatek 6-3, 6-1. Although this match was more challenging and lasted 2 hours and 7 minutes, the outcome remained the same.
Ostapenko quickly took control, winning the first four games and breaking Swiatek`s serve three times to win the first set. Despite a comeback from the World No. 2 in the second set, winning the final three games, Ostapenko regained momentum. She won 12 of the first 15 points in the decisive set, securing a lead she maintained to win.
`I think I was playing at maybe an 8 or 9 level today,` Ostapenko admitted after the match. `I believe I could have won in two sets, as I started to rush slightly in the second set, but overall, I think I performed well.
`Of course, she is a fantastic player. Playing against her is always a tough battle. I anticipate a challenging match every time. However, I felt confident in my chances to win in crucial moments.`
Ostapenko`s victory guarantees an unseeded finalist in Stuttgart. She is set to face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semifinals. World No. 22 Alexandrova defeated No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 6-0, 6-4 in Saturday`s first quarterfinal.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth