Tatjana Maria moved into the Eastbourne final after her opponent, Jelena Ostapenko, retired while trailing 6-1, 2-1 in a rain-interrupted semifinal. Before the retirement, the German had saved six of the seven break points she faced and was firmly in control of the match.
The victory over Ostapenko was Maria's fifth win over a top-50 opponent this season. Remarkably, all five of those victories have come during the grass-court swing after she had entered the season on a 10-match losing streak against top-50 players.
Maria recently dropped out of the top 100 after failing to defend her Queen's Club title, but her run to the Eastbourne final will take her back inside the top 100 in next week's rankings.
The 38-year-old endured a difficult start to the season, recording multiple main-draw wins at only one tour-level event before the grass swing, reaching the semifinals in Rouen. However, she has been in outstanding form in recent weeks, following a quarterfinal run in Nottingham with another final appearance in Eastbourne.
Maria holds a perfect 4-0 record in tour-level finals. Two of those titles came on grass, in Mallorca in 2018 and Queen's Club in 2025. Her two most recent titles were both won against American opponents, defeating Peyton Stearns in Bogota in 2023 and Amanda Anisimova at Queen's Club in 2025.
| Category | Details |
|---|
| Country | Germany |
| Age | 38 (Born 8 August 1987) |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| World Ranking | 112 |
| Career High | 36 (14 July 2025) |
| Elo Ranking | 143 (Rating: 1659) |
| Tour-Level Titles | 4 |