World number one Aryna Sabalenka will compete for the title at the Stuttgart Open after defeating Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in straight sets in a hard-fought semi-final clash on Sunday.
26-year-old Sabalenka held her nerve to take the first set despite almost throwing away a 5-2 lead, while breaks in the fifth and ninth games saw the Belarusian fight back in the second set and wrap up a 7-5, 6-4 win.
Sabalenka is looking to claim a first Stuttgart Open title at the fourth attempt, having lost to Ashleigh Barty in 2021 and Iga Swiatek in both 2022 and 2023.
Jelena Ostapenko will be in Sabalenka’s way in Monday’s final in Germany, after the Latvian comfortably overcame unseeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-4 in her last-four tie on Sunday. Sabalenka has won all three of her previous meetings with world number 24 Ostapenko.
Elsewhere in the WTA tour, Elina Svitolina picked up her first title in nearly two years with a 6-4, 7-6 win over Serbian Olga Danilovic in the Final of the WTA event in Rouen.