Iga Swiatek is set to compete in her first final in over a year, as well as her inaugural grass court final, at the Bad Homburg Open after a victory over Jasmine Paolini, winning 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals on Friday. The triumph comes just a few days ahead of the start of Wimbledon.
Swiatek, the fourth seed, extended her undefeated record against Paolini to 5-0 with a win that took 1 hour and 6 minutes. This match marked their first encounter this season. Apart from a brief period early in the second set, where Paolini broke her serve in the opening game, Swiatek maintained a strong lead throughout her sixth Top 10 win of the season.
With this latest triumph, Swiatek now has 49 victories against Top 10 players. However, before this match, she had not achieved such a win on grass. “I wasn’t expecting to win this match, so I’m happy that I just did my job,” Swiatek said post-match.
“I knew how I wanted to play and I just went for it. I’m happy I kept the momentum going until the end of the match. Jasmine is a fighter, and you can’t let her get back in the game. I just wanted to go for it, and go for my shots,” she added.
Iga Swiatek is looking for her first title on grass (Getty Images)
Swiatek, looking for her first title since her success at Roland Garros last spring, will compete against either the top-seeded Jessica Pegula or unseeded Linda Noskova in the final on Sunday.
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Iga Swiatek’s path at Wimbledon
Ranked World No. 8, Swiatek faces a challenging Wimbledon draw, with potential matches against former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and current French Open champion Coco Gauff.
Siwatek is set to begin her Wimbledon campaign against Polina Kudermetova. She could face Rybakina, 11th seed, in the fourth round, while Gauff could wait for her in the quarter-finals.
Their last encounter was during the Madrid Open semi-finals in May, where Gauff won after conceding just two games, marking her third consecutive victory over Swiatek. This would be their first Grand Slam clash since the 2024 French Open, which Swiatek won.
