Sabalenka, Ostapenko enter Stuttgart Open semis

BERLIN: World number one Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the Stuttgart Open semi-finals on Saturday while two-time champion Iga Swiatek lost to Jelena Ostapenko for the sixth time in as many meetings.

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Sabalenka reached the last eight without striking a ball following a bye and walkover, and took time to find her rhythm against Elise Mertens before wrapping up a 6-4, 6-1 victory.

Mertens broke for a 4-3 lead in the opening set but Sabalenka hit back right away and reeled off nine of the final IO games to power into a semi-final showdown with Coco Gauff or Jasmine Paolini.

A beaten finalist three times in a row from 2021 to 2023, Sabalenka has never won in Stuttgart.

However, the Belarusian won't have to contend with Swiatek --who beat her in the last two of those finals -- after the second-ranked Pole suffered another defeat by the unpredictable Ostapenko.

Ostapenko, ranked 24 in the world, won 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in a clash of past and present French Open champions.