Ostapenko maintains hoodoo over Swiatek to reach semi-finals in Stuttgart

Latvian Jelena Ostapenko beat Iga Swiatek, the second seed, for the sixth time out of six on Saturday, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to move into the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open at the Porsche-Arena.

Swiatek hit back to force a deciding set but an early break set Ostapenko on her way and she maintained the advantage throughout to set up a clash with Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova next.

“I’m really happy with the way I was fighting,” Ostapenko said in her courtside interview. “I’m really just glad that I was fighting. In the second set, I didn’t feel my game so much. And in the third set, I was like, OK, it’s done. The second set is done. We were playing the third set from the beginning, and I will fight until the end, and we’ll see what happens. But I’m really proud of myself.”

Ostapenko said she felt comfortable every time she plays Swiatek.

“I have so much respect to her and her team and everything what she’s doing for tennis,” Ostapenko said. “But every time I step on the court with her, I’m like, it’s another battle. I’m ready for it, and I’m just gonna, like, even if I don’t feel great on that day, I will just fight and leave it all on the court.”

Ostapenko takes advantage of nervous start by Swiatek

Not surprisingly, given their head to head record, Swiatek began nervously, dropping her opening service game with a double fault and a couple of shaky points.

Ostapenko, by contrast, was quickly into her groove, hammering anything short from Swiatek, the Pole’s second serve getting the treatment right from the start. Swiatek got on the board with a hold for 1-3 but she was always struggling on serve, finding the court with just 38 percent of her first serves in a one-sided opening set.

Swiatek hits back to level

Ostapenko had been hitting winners from every angle in the opener, especially on the forehand side, but came off the boil a bit at the start of the second set and Swiatek took advantage.

The four-time French Open champion broke early and stayed ahead throughout the set, attacking the Ostapenko second serve and adding more consistency to her groundstroke game as she levelled.

Ostapenko pulls away for victory

Despite Swiatek’s improvement, the match always felt on Ostapenko’s serve and the Latvian broke again at the start of the third to take charge once more, racing ahead 4-2.

Swiatek stayed in touch, just the one break down, and had a chance to get the break back in the seventh game, only to send a backhand return over the baseline.

That proved to be her last chance as Ostapenko broke for a second time in the set to clinch victory.

Ostapenko had benefitted from the abandonment of Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska (6-3, 3-0) and beat American Emma Navarro, the No 7 seed (7-5, 3-6, 6-2) ahead of her victory.

Swiatek, ranked No 2, defeated Croatian qualifier Jana Fett (6-2, 6-2) in her opening match.

Stuttgart WTA 500, other last eight results (Porsche-Arena, clay, EUR 925.661, most recent results first):

• Coco Gauff vs. Jasmine Paolini
• Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elise Mertens
• Ekaterina Alexandrova beat Jessica Pegula (3): 6-0, 6-4