Sabalenka dispatches Paolini to book Stuttgart final vs. Ostapenko

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka won 7-5, 6-4 against Jasmine Paolini of Italy on Sunday to set up a clay-court Porsche Grand Prix final against unseeded Jelena Ostapenko.

The No.1-ranked Sabalenka has conserved some energy in the tournament. The 26-year-old Belarussian got a bye through the first round and a walkover in the second.

Sabalenka looked sharp against the fifth-seeded Paolini, last year's French Open runner-up, breaking her serve six times.

Sabalenka owns three Grand Slam titles and will aim for her 20th career title overall but her first at the Porsche Grand Prix, where she lost her three previous finals at the Stuttgart tournament.

The 27-year-old Ostapenko, who is Latvian, earlier won 6-4, 6-4 against Ekaterina Alexandrova and is bidding for her ninth career title.

Ostapenko won the French Open in 2017 with a high-risk brand of big-hitting tennis and improbable winners.

It is her only major title so far. She reached a career-best ranking of fifth the following year and is now ranked 24th.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis