Aryna Sabalenka shares the “truth” about her transition from hard courts to clay courts

Aryna Sabalenka has reached her fourth Stuttgart Open final, where she will be aiming for her third clay court title.

Aryna Sabalenka shares the “truth” about her transition from hard courts to clay courts

Aryna Sabalenka (Images via Instagram, left- Aryna Sabalenka, right- Porsche Tennis)

Aryna Sabalenka is well known for her dominance on hard court, with 17 of her 19 singles titles coming on this surface. After a successful first quarter of the season where she clinched two titles and was a runner-up in two tournaments, the Belarusian is looking to extend that incredible performance into the clay season. 

Sabalenka has won two clay court titles, both in the Madrid Open. She triumphed at Madrid for the first time in 2021, where she defeated Ashleigh Barty in the finals. The Belarusian ace won her next title in 2023, defeating Iga Swiatek in the finals. It is her sole victory on clay over Swiatek and one of her four victories over the Pole. 

YouTube video

I had a week available to train on clay before starting to compete here in Stuttgart. The truth is that I am feeling more and more comfortable showing variety in my tennis and getting used to putting more spin on the ball with my shots than I usually do on hard courts.

Aryna Sabalenka said (H/T: Punto de Break)

The WTA World No. 1 is currently playing in the Stuttgart Open, a tournament where she has been a finalist thrice before. She reached the finals for the first time in 2021, where she lost to Barty. In 2022 and 2023, Sabalenka lost to Swiatek in the finals. 

Sabalenka has now reached the finals of the 2025 Stuttgart Open. The 26-year-old will be competing for her third title of the season after victories at the Brisbane International and Miami Open.

Aryna Sabalenka faced a ball mark controversy in the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Open

During her Stuttgart Open quarterfinal match against Elise Mertens, Aryna Sabalenka got into a heated dispute with chair umpire Miriam Bley. They disagreed over a line call that Sabalenka thought was wrong. 

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (via X)

Surprisingly, Sabalenka pulled out her phone and clicked a picture of the ball mark. The Belarusian seemed upset with how the umpire handled the situation. Nonetheless, Sabalenka had a smooth straight-set victory over the German to advance to the semifinals.

Aryna Sabalenka will meet Jelena Ostapenko in the Stuttgart Open finals

Sabalenka defeated Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open 7-5, 6-4. The two had previously met last month in the Miami Open semifinals as well, where Sabalenka eventually went on to clinch her maiden Miami Open title.

Aryna Sabalenka (2)
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/The Tennis Channel)

Sabalenka will now face 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the Stuttgart Open finals. Ostapenko has had a pretty good run in the tournament so far, defeating Dayana Yastremska, Emma Navarro, Iga Swiatek, and Ekaterina Alexandrova on her way to the finals.

The most noteworthy of these matches was her quarterfinal match against two-time champion Swiatek. They met for the first time on clay, Iga’s favorite surface, but that didn’t stop Ostapenko from continuing her streak of dominance over the Pole. The Latvian defeated Swiatek in three sets. She now boasts an astounding 6-0 head-to-head record over the World No. 2 and has defeated her on every surface. 

After beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Stuttgart Open semifinals, Ostapenko has now advanced to her first clay-court final since she won the 2017 Roland Garros title. She had defeated Simona Halep in the final, becoming the first Latvian to win a Grand Slam singles title.

The Stuttgart Open final is Ostapenko’s second final of the season, after a runner-up showing at the Qatar Open, where she lost to Amanda Anisimova. The 27-year-old will be bidding for her ninth WTA singles title. Sabalenka has a 3-0 head-to-head record over Ostapenko. This will mark their second meet on clay.