LIVE
...

Follow us on

News

Iga Swiatek admits the mistake she made at the start of the third set in her defeat to Jelena Ostapenko at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix

Split image of Iga Swiatek of Poland talks to the media after losing to Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the quarter-final on Day 5 of the Porsche Ten...
Credit: Robert Prange/Getty Images
Follow us on Google Discover

Iga Swiatek was beaten by Jelena Ostapenko once again, as the one-sided head-to-head between the pair continues.

Swiatek lost to Ostapenko in Doha earlier this year, with their latest encounter in Stuttgart the sixth consecutive victory for the Latvian.

Their match in Stuttgart was actually the first on clay between them, but once again Ostapenko beat Swiatek to keep her unbeaten record against the five-time major winner.

While Ostapenko showed her strengths during their quarter-final, Swiatek has admitted that she made some significant errors in crucial stages of the match.

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2025 - Day 5
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images

Iga Swiatek admits mistake she made against Jelena Ostapenko

Ostapenko beat Swiatek, 6-3 3-6 6-2, in a very back-and-forth match on the indoor clay courts of Stuttgart.

When speaking in her post-match press conference, Swiatek reflected on how the match fluctuated and admitted her errors in both the first and third sets.

“Well, overall I felt better with my serve,” Swiatek said when speaking about the second set. “So that’s what I was happy about, you know, that I managed to pull myself out from, like, serving really bad in the first set.

“So I just wanted to hold onto it. Yeah, like, I remember, like, it was pretty clear, you know, in the second set, but in the third, like, probably I over-thinked it a little bit in the beginning.

“But again, I started playing well in the middle of the third set, as well. So I just didn’t use my opportunities to break back after a bad start of the third set.”

Swiatek later added, “Well, for sure I’m happy with the second set. Disappointed that I couldn’t hold my level in the first games of third set, because I think for sure it was important. But, you know, I kept fighting. Yeah.”

How did Iga Swiatek’s serve fluctuate throughout the match against Jelena Ostapenko?

Swiatek’s serve has been a big talking point following some of her recent defeats, with the Pole mentioning it herself after this latest loss to Ostapenko.

In her opening match in Stuttgart against Jana Fett, Swiatek’s service work was noticeable, but some of her previous issues reappeared against Ostapenko.

Despite being disappointed with her performance in the third set, that was actually when Swiatek’s first serve percentage was at its highest.

Although that did not necessarily translate into points won, which was at its peak during the second set where she was winning 75% of her points on first serve.

Iga Swiatek’s Serve vs OstapenkoFirst SetSecond SetThird Set
Aces032
Double Faults332
First Serve %43%46%54%
First Serve Win %33%75%57%
Second Serve Win %33%42%42%
Games Broken312

Swiatek now has a significant number of points to defend over the coming weeks after her hugely successful run on clay last year, starting as defending champion at the Madrid Open.

While Ostapenko will look to win her first clay court title since Roland Garros in 2017, as she now plays Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semi-finals.