Aryna Sabalenka bows out in Stuttgart Open quarter final against Markéta Vondroušová

The Stuttgart Open is going on in full flow and is currently featuring some of the most iconic WTA players right now. The tournament has had its fair share of surprises such as the breakdown of Paula Bedosa and the elimination of a top-ranked player in Ons Jabeur. This is what makes the game of tennis a great game where a certain individual can come out of nowhere and surprise us with some great performances even against some of the world-class players.

The match between Aryna Sabalenka and Marketa Vandrousova was one of the matches everyone was expecting to be a one-sided affair where the 2-time grand slam winner would emerge victorious. Even though Vandrasouva is one of the most talented upcoming players who came into the limelight after winning last season's Wimbledon, her form has not really been the same of late. As usual, Sabalenka was the favourite to win this encounter.

Vandrousova beats the odds

The Czech player though is one of the players known for her deceptive drop shots and ability to play longer rallies many people would expect Sabalenka with her aggressive baseline tactics to be the favourite this season. The first set seemed to give that perfect example as Sabalenka emerged victorious winning 6 games to 3. As soon as we all thought that Sabalenka was on top, the next set saw Vandrasouva come back and win the second set convincingly. The last set was set to be the decider and in the most surprising fashion, it was Vandrasouva who emerged victorious.

This was another surprise in store for the fans, where Vandrousova showed glimpses of brilliance which was shown last season. Sabalenka’s start to the clay season has also not started in the best fashion and has not won a title since the triumphant Australian Open this season. She will still have her eye on the upcoming French Open trying to finally get her hands on her third grand slam trophy.