With the tenacity of a tiger locking onto its prey, Aryna Sabalenka embodies the spirit of a true go-getter. Recall the electrifying Australian Open semi-final—friendship took a backseat to ambition as she faced Paula Badosa. Despite their close bond, a fierce contest for a Grand Slam final ignited. Sabalenka’s raw power and relentless aggression secured her victory in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, even as Badosa valiantly resisted. This fierce determination, this unwavering focus on the prize, now finds a new target on the European clay.
The total prize money for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2025 is €937,000, or about $1,064,500. The winner will take home €142,610, 500 ranking points. But Aryna has her eye on the brand new Porsche that comes with the prize! After a hard-fought 7-5, 6-4 victory over Jasmine Paolini on Sunday, Sabalenka advances to the final. She erased a break deficit in that match and is now riding an eight-match winning streak since her Miami Open triumph. Her opponent in the final? Jelena Ostapenko, who defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-4.
Although she praised the Latvian player for “playing great tennis,” Sabalenka has taken her down thrice before in all their encounters. But she couldn’t help but raise the challenge: “It doesn’t matter what happened in the past, I’m going to go out there tomorrow and fight like it’s the first match. And I’m going to fight for this beautiful car behind me.”
She’s been doing incredibly on tour, recently winning the Miami Open title against Jessica Pegula last month and the Brisbane International in January! But with the stakes raised in the form of the Porsche, she can’t help but show her determination to win. She added, “I beg you, please, please, I need this car!”
“It looks like a tiger car, c’mon!” @SabalenkaA | #PorscheTennis pic.twitter.com/Wo0XiWEGLy
— wta (@WTA) April 20, 2025
She has plans to add it to her persona as The Tigress, noting that it “looks like a tiger car, let’s be honest!” That fuels her spirit to put up a challenging fight against Ostapenko and “fight for every point.” Despite past attempts, including final defeats to Iga Swiatek in both 2022 and 2023, and to Ash Barty in 2021, the Stuttgart title has eluded the two-time Australian Open champion.
Well, you heard it from the World No.1. She’s got that need for speed. While her past experiences at this tournament haven’t ended the way she hoped, she’s putting her all in now. Even making some bold moves against the umpire to get here!
Aryna Sabalenka’s road to her fourth Stuttgart final
In the 2021 final, she started strong against World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, winning the first set 6-3. But Barty came back hard, taking the next two sets 6-0, 6-3, and drove off with the Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo. Sabalenka reached the final again in 2022 but lost 2-6, 2-6 to Iga Swiatek, who claimed the Porsche. The same matchup happened in 2023, with Swiatek winning 6-3, 6-4 and taking home the fancy ride.
This year, Sabalenka’s Stuttgart start was unusual—she didn’t play until Saturday! As the top seed, she had a first-round bye and then got lucky when Anastasia Potapova withdrew. Just as she was set to play, the tournament paused for Good Friday. She joked, “What are you doing to me? I don’t play until Saturday. It’s a bit annoying, honestly.” However, she hadn’t dropped a set once. But her quarterfinal against Elise Mertens got spicy.
Down 4-3 and facing a break point, Sabalenka challenged an “out” call. When the umpire didn’t check the ball mark, she snapped a photo with a phone from her team. She got a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct but stayed focused. She broke back and won 6-4, 6-1. She laughed, “I felt the referee was pi**** by the picture I took. When I gave her a handshake, that was a very interesting look and a strong handshake. I’ve never had that before, but yeah.”
Will 2025 finally be Sabalenka’s year to drive away in that Porsche? Her recent form says yes. The final is on Monday, April 21. The World No. 1 is ready to fight for every point—and that beautiful car. What do you think?
The post “I Beg You Please,” World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka Desperate for Stuttgart Victory as Jelena Ostapenko Presents a Hurdle appeared first on EssentiallySports.
