Iga Swiatek appeared to be on the verge of tears after her Bad Homburg final loss Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek said she "showed there is hope" for her on grass despite losing to American Jessica Pegula in the Bad Homburg Open final. Former world number one Swiatek was playing in her first grass-court final but was edged out 6-4 7-5 by Pegula. Despite being a former junior champion at Wimbledon, Swiatek has struggled on the quicker grass surface in her professional career. Her 22 WTA titles to date have either been won on hard courts (12) or clay (10). Poland's four-time French Open and one-time US Open champion reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2023 but has not gone beyond the fourth round in any of her other four appearances there. She has appeared to turn a corner in Germany this week, recording her first victory over a top-10 player on grassby crushing last year's Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-1 6-3in the semi-finals. "This tournament shows there is hope for me on grass," said Swiatek, who appeared to be on the verge of tears after her loss. "I'm happy we can play here and I'm happy I could prove that." Jessica Pegula has won titles on grass, clay and hard courts this year World number three Pegula, who won her third title of 2025, told Swiatek in her on-court interview: "I know you say you can't play on grass, but trust me you can still play pretty good on grass. Cut yourself some slack. "Good luck for next week, I know it's a short turnaround for both of us." Swiatek faces Russian Polina Kudermetova in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday while Pegula is up against Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto on the same day. A tough draw means Swiatek could take on former winner Elena Rybakina in the fourth round of Wimbledon and French Open champion Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals. In theory Pegula has a much kinder run, although she could facesurprise Queen's Club champion Tatjana Mariain round two. Maya Joint is the current world number 51 Australian teenager Maya Joint saved four championship points in a thrilling match tie-break to beat Alexandra Eala of the Philippines and win the Eastbourne title on her tournament debut. Joint, 19, who had a match point of her own saved at 7-6 in the tie-break, won 6-4 1-6 7-6 (12-10). It means she will climb into the world's top 50 for the first time. Her work in Eastbourne was not quite done after the arduous final, as Joint also had a doubles final to play. She had the chance to become the first player to win both the singles and doubles titles in the same year at Eastbourne since Czech Jana Novotna who did so in 1998 - weeks before she also won both events at Wimbledon. Joint was due to partner nine-time Grand Slam winner Hsieh Su-wei in the doubles final, with the Australian-Taiwanese duo up against Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic and Kazakh Anna Danilina. Runner-up Eala became the first Filipina to play in the final of a WTA Tour event.
'There's hope for me on grass' - Swiatek loses Bad Homburg final
TruthLens AI Suggested Headline:
"Iga Swiatek Reflects on Grass Court Progress After Bad Homburg Final Loss"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
Iga Swiatek, the five-time Grand Slam champion, expressed a mix of disappointment and optimism after losing to American Jessica Pegula in the final of the Bad Homburg Open, with a score of 6-4, 7-5. This was Swiatek's first grass-court final, and despite her struggles on this surface throughout her professional career, she managed to showcase her potential by defeating last year's Wimbledon runner-up, Jasmine Paolini, in the semi-finals. Swiatek, who has primarily found success on hard and clay courts, noted that the tournament indicated there is hope for her future on grass. Although she has not advanced beyond the fourth round in previous Wimbledon appearances, her performance in Germany has given her a renewed sense of confidence as she prepares for the upcoming Wimbledon tournament. Swiatek's emotional reaction to her loss highlighted the significance of the moment for her, as she acknowledged the progress she has made on grass this season.
Jessica Pegula, currently ranked third in the world, celebrated her victory, marking her third title of 2025, and offered encouraging words to Swiatek during the on-court interview, emphasizing that she has the ability to compete effectively on grass. Both players are set to face challenging opponents in the first round of Wimbledon, with Swiatek matched against Russian Polina Kudermetova and Pegula up against Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto. The draw for Swiatek is particularly tough, as she could potentially meet former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the fourth round and French Open champion Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, in other tournament news, Australian teenager Maya Joint triumphed in the Eastbourne title match, saving four championship points to win her debut WTA event, which will elevate her into the world’s top 50. Joint also has the opportunity to win the doubles title, aiming to replicate the historic feat achieved by Jana Novotna in 1998, thereby highlighting the emerging talents in women's tennis alongside established stars like Swiatek and Pegula.
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