“Sourest loser on tour” – Iga Swiatek gets blasted for a cold handshake with Jelena Ostapenko after losing against her for a sixth time in Stuttgart

Iga Swiatek has failed to win a WTA title since winning her fourth Roland Garros title last year, not even reaching the final since.

“Sourest loser on tour” – Iga Swiatek gets blasted for a cold handshake with Jelena Ostapenko after losing against her for a sixth time in Stuttgart

Iga Swiatek was blasted for cold handshake (via X)

Iga Swiatek’s wait for another title continues after a tough loss to Jelena Ostapenko at the Stuttgart Open. The world No. 2 was beaten 3-6, 6-3, 2-6 in a tight quarterfinal that lasted over two hours. It was another frustrating result for the five-time Grand Slam champion, who hasn’t made a final since winning the French Open last June.

The match ended on a tense note. When Ostapenko approached for a post-match hug, Swiatek responded with a cold handshake and quickly walked away to greet the umpire. This moment didn’t sit well with fans and led to fresh criticism about her on-court behavior, which has been questioned in the past.

YouTube video

Ostapenko, ranked 24th in the world, was aggressive from the start and never let up. She now has multiple wins over Swiatek and once again proved to be a difficult opponent. The loss shows that Swiatek still faces serious challenges at the top level.

With the clay season in full swing, Swiatek has a lot on the line. She enters the Madrid Open, Italian Open, and Roland Garros as the defending champion, and pressure is mounting for her to return to form.

Tennis fans blast Iga Swiatek for her poor sportsmanship against Jelena Ostapenko

As soon as the visuals came out, the tennis fraternity criticized Iga Swiatek for her poor sportsmanship. Many fans claim that this is not the first time the reigning French Open champion has behaved this way.

Iga Swiatek Stuttgart Open
Iga Swiatek (via X/The Tennis Letter)

Swiatek has been accused of poor sportsmanship in the past. Recently, she was called out for some of her actions during the Australian Open semifinal against Madison Keys.

Before the start of the third set, Swiatek was seen doing returning drills with her back facing Keys. This annoyed the American, who wanted her opponent to be ready to resume play.

Regardless of the situation, Swiatek is now under massive pressure heading into Roland Garros. She has a lot of points to defend as she prepares for the Madrid Open, Italian Open, and Roland Garros, where she is the defending champion.

How Jelena Ostapenko conquered Iga Swiatek again

Jelena Ostapenko started strong in her match against Iga Swiatek, winning the first four games and breaking Swiatek’s serve three times to take the first set. Swiatek responded in the second set by winning the last three games, but it wasn’t enough.

In the deciding set, Ostapenko came out firing. She won 12 of the first 15 points and quickly took control. Once she had the lead, she never let it go. Her aggressive play sealed the victory.

With this win, Ostapenko moves on to face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semi-finals. Alexandrova had a dominant 6-0, 6-4 win over third seed Jessica Pegula earlier in the day. This guarantees an unseeded player will be in the Stuttgart final.

Ostapenko now holds six wins over Swiatek across different surfaces. She beat her on hard courts four times and once on grass. Just two months ago, she defeated Swiatek 6-3, 6-1 in Doha. Saturday’s match was closer, but the outcome was the same after 2 hours and 7 minutes.