“I always knew my game was there. I always believed in myself, and that’s the most important thing. I believe I can beat everyone,” Jelena Ostapenko said last week after ousting former World No.2 Iga Swiatek from the Stuttgart Open QF. The two players met for the sixth time and Ostapenko once again dominated the Pole, garnering a rare 6-0 record against the so called “clay specialist”. But that wasn’t enough for the Latvian star. On Monday, she thrashed World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka to clinch her second clay court title, after 2017’s Roland Garros. In an unconventional Stuttgart final, Sabalenka couldn’t stand a chance against an in-form Ostapenko. The trophy and a $128,680 car weren’t the only prizes for Latvian player!

While many expected to witness a cracker of a final between Ostapenko and Sabalenka, the reality was far from it. Why so? Ostapenko’s sublime form proved too good for Sabalenka. In straight sets, the Latvian WTA pro defeated the Belarusian with a comfortable score line of 6-4, 6-1. With that, she won her ninth WTA career title and the first at a WTA 500 event. After the title win on Monday, Ostapenko has now become the first one woman, since Williams, to beat World No.2 and World No.1 players at the same event on the clay court.

It was 13 years ago in 2012, the year it was held on blue clay, when Serena Williams achieved a similar feat at the Madrid Open. In that edition of the event, she beat the then No.2 Maria Sharapova in QF (6-1, 6-3). Later, the former American WTA legend bested No.1-ranked Victoria Azarenka (6-1, 6-3) in the final. Interestingly, Serena did it twice, actually. In 2002 also, she beat the top 2 ranked players. At the French Open, she defeated No.2 Lindsay Davenport in the QF. She then took down No.1 Hingis in the summit clash.

Before ReRe, the previous WTA stars who beat WTA top 2 at the same event on clay include:

• Gabriela Sabatini at 1989 Amelia Island (d. No. 2 Navratilova in SFs and No. 1 Graf in F)
• Steffi Graf at 1999 Roland Garros (d. No. 2 Davenport in QFs and No. 1 Hingis in F)
• Serena Williams at 2002 Roland Garros (d. No. 2 Capriati in SFs and No. 1 V.Williams in F)
• Justine Henin at 2003 Roland Garros (d. No. 1 S.Williams in SFs and No. 2 Clijsters in F)
• Svetlana Kuznetsova at 2009 Roland Garros (d. No. 2 S.Williams in QFs and No. 1 Safina in F)

And there’s more. Ostapenko’s achievement in defeating both the world No. 1 and No. 2 at the same tournament makes her only the second-lowest-ranked woman to accomplish this feat across all surfaces. Barbora Krejčíková holds the distinction of being the lowest-ranked, achieving this as the No. 30 player at the Dubai event in 2023.

Ostapenko has made a huge jump in the WTA rankings too, thanks to her Stuttgart triumph. She’s back in top 20 now, sitting comfortably at the 18th spot. For the record, she reached a career-high of No. 5 back in 2018. Undoubtedly, she’s overjoyed after the stunning campaign she had last week. It became evident from her reaction after lifting the trophy on Monday.

Jelena Ostapenko knew she “can win” the Stuttgart Open trophy even before starting her campaign

After stunning Sabalenka in just 85 minutes in the summit clash, she couldn’t resist her feelings. Thanking the crowd in Stuttgart, after playing for the seventh time at the event, she said, “I love playing here,” reported Porsche newsroom on April 21. “It really was a perfect week for me.”

Reacting to her victory, Ostapenko said, “I felt very confident from the very first day. I had this strange, but also good feeling, that something special could happen here.” Emphasizing on her positive mindset, even before starting her Stuttgart campaign, she added, “When I came here, I felt like something is going to happen this week. I pretty much felt that I can win this tournament.” reported WTA’s website on April 21.

It was not just the winner’s trophy and $162,181 of prize money Jelena Ostapenko received as a Stuttgart champion. The Latvian star was also awarded the keys to a brand new Porsche Macan Turbo Electric. At home, she’s already got a Cayenne Turbo. But guess what? “Unfortunately, no time to celebrate,” Penko added further. Why so?

As Ostapenko puts it, “Tennis is a busy sport.” Now, she’s going to travel to Frankfurt, “then practice in Madrid for a few days and play a match on Thursday.” What are your thoughts on Ostapenko’s prospects going forward in 2025? Will the 27-year-old keep winning more trophies this season?