Iga Swiatek Reaches First Grass-Court Final at Bad Homburg Open

BAD HOMBURG, Germany — Iga Swiatek reached her first WTA Tour grass-court final with a commanding 6-1, 6-3 victory over Jasmine Paolini on Friday at the Bad Homburg Open. The five-time Grand Slam champion from Poland completed the match in just 66 minutes, marking a significant moment in her career.

Swiatek, who previously won 12 titles on hard courts and 10 on clay, had never reached a final on grass before this week. This victory against the world number five was also her first win over a top-10 player on this surface.

“I am super happy – I was not expecting this,” the 24-year-old Swiatek said after the match. “I just did my job, knew what I wanted to play and went for it.”

Swiatek’s next opponent in the final will be the top seed, Jessica Pegula, who fought back from behind to defeat Czech player Linda Noskova 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 6-1. Pegula was down 5-3 in the second set before rallying to victory.

In the semifinal, Swiatek took control early by breaking Paolini’s serve three times in the first set, which concluded in just 29 minutes. Although Paolini temporarily took the lead in the second set, Swiatek’s ability to maintain pressure helped her dominate the closing stages of the match.

The Polish star has not played any other grass-court tournaments this year, opting instead for a week of training in Mallorca. Last year, she did not compete between her French Open victory and Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, in Eastbourne, 20-year-old Alexandra Eala made history by becoming the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA final. Eala outlasted Varvara Gracheva from France, winning 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. Eala’s victory came after a tough match that lasted more than two hours.

Eala will face Australian teenager Maya Joint in the final after Joint won her semifinal match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-3. Eala expressed her excitement, stating, “I’m super happy. There were really tough moments where she was playing well, and I sometimes didn’t know how to get out of it.”

Both Swiatek and Eala are looking ahead to Wimbledon, where they hope to carry their momentum into the prestigious tournament.