Pegula downs Swiatek to win Bad Homburg grass-court title
World number three Jessica Pegula beat Poland's Iga Swiatek in straight sets to win her third title of the season at Bad Homburg on Saturday, two days before Wimbledon starts.
The 31-year-old won 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 46 minutes in the northern suburbs of Frankfurt for her second title on grass, after Berlin last year.
The US Open finalist now trails Swiatek 6-5 in their meetings, but has won four of her last six contests with the former world number one, who was appearing in her first final on grass.
The American played solidly on serve, conceding only one break point in the first set, which she avoided with a clever serve-and-drop combination.
Pegula then converted her third break point at three-games all to take a decisive lead and clinch the set.
In the second set, Swiatek piled up unforced errors. Pegula took the Polish player's serve at 5-5 with a superb forehand crosscourt shot from the baseline.
Top seed Pegula did not falter on her serve to hand Swiatek a fifth defeat in 27 finals on the tour.
Pegula added to her trophies in Austin (hard court) and Charleston (clay) this season.
She now boasts nine career titles -- five in the last 12 months.
AFP | Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV
"This tournament shows there's hope for me on grass," joked Swiatek after wiping away a few tears of disappointment.
The five-time Grand Slam winner was playing her first final on a grass court, two years after reaching the semi-finals in Bad Homburg, her best previous result on the surface.
Swiatek was playing in her first final in a year since she lifted her fourth French Open trophy at Roland Garros in 2024, and looking for her 23rd career title.
The former US Open champion will face Russian Polina Kudermetova, ranked 63, at Wimbledon.
Pegula, whose best result at Wimbledon was a quarter-final appearance in 2023, will open her campaign on Tuesday against 122nd-ranked Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
5 hours ago
- eNCA
Draper ready to fill Murray's shoes as Britain's Wimbledon hope
Jack Draper insists he can cope with the pressure of replacing Andy Murray as Britain's leading contender to win Wimbledon. Murray ended the 77-year wait for a British winner of the Wimbledon men's singles title when he beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final. The Scot won Wimbledon again three years later during an iconic career that included three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and a spell as world number one. Murray retired following the 2024 Paris Olympics, but British world number four Draper has already emerged as a worthy successor to the 38-year-old. Now Draper knows he has to prove he can handle the expectations of the British sporting public at his home Grand Slam. "Yeah, for sure. I think obviously when Andy retired, they said I was the next in line for that," Draper told reporters at the All England Club on Saturday. "Obviously Andy has done an unbelievable job. He's been incredibly successful and has become adored by the nation. It's obviously big shoes to fill. I'm aware of that. "At the same time I'm confident in myself that hopefully I can inspire people like Andy has done. "I'll keep trying to show my best tennis out there, to hopefully present myself as the player and the person I want to be." Murray has been a useful resource for Draper since the 23-year-old burst onto the scene with a run to the US Open last 16 in 2023. And Draper won't be shy about asking Murray for advice on how to deal with the Wimbledon spotlight. - Mentor Murray - "Obviously Andy has given me an amazing amount of feedback and advice over the years. I think one of the biggest things is everyone is on their different journey," Draper said. "I know Andy's right there for me if I need him any time. There may come a point where I ask him a few things, and I'm sure he'll come back and be extremely helpful and supportive, as always." Draper, who start his Wimbledon campaign against Argentina's Sebastian Baez on Tuesday, has never been past the second round in his three Wimbledon appearances. This year's draw poses a host of threats to the Londoner's dreams of emulating Murray's Wimbledon success. Draper is scheduled to face former Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic in the second round and Alexander Bublik, who beat him in the recent French Open, in the third round. The draw seeds Draper to meet seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic in the last eight, world number Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final. "I haven't looked at that at all. I look at my first round. I respect every person in the draw," he said. "Obviously you guys have asked me a lot about the pressure and all that sort of stuff. I'm not thinking about that at all." Draper's victory at Indian Wells in March was his first ATP Masters 1000 title, building on his maiden Grand Slam semi-final appearance at last year's US Open. After a rocky spell when he struggled to adapt to the gruelling demands of the ATP Tour, Draper now feels comfortable on and off the court. "I think maturity, taking responsibility for my actions. When I was younger, it's tough. My friends went to university. I suppose they had an extended period of their childhood or their time to have fun," he said. "Sometimes you want to just take a break, but you can't in a sport like tennis. I would say that's the most challenging thing about being on the tour. "For me it was a process and was definitely something I really struggled with at first. I suppose just growing up." By Steven Griffiths
eNCA
11 hours ago
- eNCA
Coaching upheaval won't dent Sinner's Wimbledon title charge
World number one Jannik Sinner insists his surprise decision to part with two of his coaching staff on the eve of Wimbledon will not affect his bid to win the tournament for the first time. Sinner has opted to move on from Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio, his trainer and physiotherapist respectively, as he looks for a new direction following his painful French Open final loss to Carlos Alcaraz. The pair had been employed by Sinner since September 2024, helping him retain the Australian Open crown in January and reach the Roland Garros showpiece in June. Asked if the decision might jeopardise his Wimbledon challenge over the next fortnight, Sinner was adamant it would be beneficial, with coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill still on his staff. "I parted ways not long ago, but it's not affecting me. I feel ready to compete. I feel free. I feel me and my team, we are ready to do the best we can," Sinner told reporters at the All England Club on Saturday. "We've reached incredible results in the past with them, so obviously huge thanks to them. We made some great job, but I decided to do something different. "As I said, we made some great work. For me the final in Roland Garros was an amazing achievement. That's it." Sinner explained the split was amical. "Look, in this sport things can happen," he said. "Nothing crazy happened... sometimes a player feels something different, and that's my case. "I'm here to show that I can play some good tennis also on grass." Sinner has won three of the last six Grand Slams, but is still recovering from losing an epic French Open clash with Alcaraz. The 23-year-old blew a two-set lead and wasted three match-points as Alcaraz staged a comeback for the ages to win in the final set tie-break. Sinner has failed to reach the Wimbledon final in his four visits, with a last four appearance in 2023 ranking as his best effort. - Passion for fashion - The Italian's Wimbledon preparations were also dented by a shock last-16 defeat against Alexander Bublik in the grass-court event at Halle. But top seeded Sinner, who will start his Wimbledon campaign against compatriot Luca Nardi, remains in confident mood. "Feels good again after one year coming back here. I'm very happy. I have some good feelings," he said. "We are practising very well. I feel ready to compete again." Sinner's pursuit of a maiden Wimbledon crown could hinge on a potential heavyweight semi-final clash with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. But rather than fret about that possible blockbuster tie, Sinner was in relaxed mood as he delved into his off-court hobbies. Sinner recently released a duet with renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli. Titled Polvere e Gloria, which means Dust and Glory, the song features Sinner reciting speeches about winning and losing. "That was the first time that I got to know him in person. It was very nice. Obviously he's an incredible artist. Just being part of this for me was amazing," Sinner said. "Just something completely different. I would have never thought that I would be in these kind of things in the future." Sinner has also indulged his passion for fashion by working with iconic brand Gucci. "Gucci is Italian. To work with them, it's very nice," he said. "I learn new things every time when I go on fashion shows. I like to ask why they use certain colours, and you see how they think about fashion. "I'm not the guy who is going to show up with something to show off!" By Steven Griffiths
eNCA
11 hours ago
- eNCA
Fritz fuelled with confidence for Wimbledon after Eastbourne win
Taylor Fritz said he is heading to Wimbledon in confident mood after storming to a record-extending fourth title at the Eastbourne Open on Saturday. The world number five proved too good for fellow American Jenson Brooksby, who had progressed to the final as a lucky loser after defeat in qualifying, with a 7-5, 6-1 victory in the Wimbledon warm-up event at Devonshire Park. Fritz also won on the grass in Stuttgart earlier this month and now has five ATP titles on the surface, which is only bettered by Novak Djokovic among active players. "I'll go there, get a nice practice in tomorrow and go for it," said Fritz, who is due to play Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round at Wimbledon on Monday. "I'd much rather be going into the tournament with a title and confidence than a week of rest and just practice." Fritz has made the event on England's south coast his own in recent years, also lifting the trophy in 2019, 2022 and 2024. After needing three third-set victories to reach the final once again this week, Fritz had to come from a break down in the first set before imposing his dominance over the world number 149 in the second. "I got better and better with each match and felt like I really upped my level in this match," added Fritz.
