Tennis – World number one Aryna Sabalenka reached her fourth Stuttgart Open final with a hard-fought 7-5 6-4 win over Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.
The 26-year-old is targeting a first title, though, having lost to Ash Barty in 2021 and Iga Swiatek in both 2022 and 2023.
Sabalenka held her nerve to take the first set despite almost throwing away a 5-2 lead, before Paolini started strongly to win the first three games of the second.
But breaks in the fifth and ninth games saw Sabalenka fight back to set up a final meeting with Jelena Ostapenko today.
“She makes me work for every point. It was hard to get the win,” said the Belarusian of Paolini, 29. “I was just trying to stay aggressive, to put as much pressure on her.”
Sabalenka has won all three of her previous meetings with world number 24 Ostapenko.
The 27-year-old Latvian, who upset world number two Swiatek in the quarter-final, comfortably overcame unseeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 6-4 in her last-four tie.
Elsewhere, Elina Svitolina picked up her first title in nearly two years with a 6-4 7-6 (10-8) win over Serbian Olga Danilovic in the final of the ATP event in Rouen.
The Ukrainian, who returned to competing two months ago after taking maternity leave, last won a title in Strasbourg in 2023.
“I feel confident about my game,” said Svitolina, who did not drop a set all week.
“I trust my game. When I play well, it’s difficult to beat me. I have to keep a very strong mindset and keep fighting.”
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