OSAKA JUST ONE WIN AWAY FROM HER FIRST GRASS-COURT FINAL – MUCHOVA FACES RUSE
Naomi Osaka smiled warmly and offered a simple explanation for her ability to cope with the heat:
“I grew up in Florida...!” said the four-time Grand Slam champion after her 6-2, 6-2 quarterfinal victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt.
With temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius, Osaka delivered a commanding performance and was also helped by her powerful serve, firing seven aces. She won nearly 95 percent of points behind her first serve.
The sixth-seeded Japanese star will now have the opportunity to reach the first grass-court final of her career when she takes on Xinyu Wang in Friday’s semifinal (not before 1:00 p.m.). Osaka’s only previous grass-court semifinal came in Nottingham in 2018, where she lost to Ashleigh Barty.
Muchova Also Chasing a First Grass-Court Final
In the second semifinal (not before 3:00 p.m.), fourth seed Karolina Muchova will face surprise package Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who has battled her way through qualifying into the final four.
The Romanian stunned two-time Bad Homburg semifinalist Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday. A day earlier, the American had knocked out top seed and Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek.
Muchova, a former French Open finalist, had to work much harder for her place in the semifinals. The Czech recovered from a slow start to defeat Clara Tauson of Denmark 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 after 2 hours and 3 minutes.
“I started a little passively, while Clara was playing incredibly fast. Luckily, I was able to turn the match around,” said Muchova, who is making her tournament debut in Bad Homburg this year.
Unseeded Wang advanced to the semifinals via walkover after third seed Elina Svitolina withdrew with a hip injury.
Hamburg and Petkovic – A Good Omen for Ruse?
Ruse, meanwhile, could hardly believe her success. Time and again she covered her face with her hands and shook her head in disbelief after her latest upset.
Even she may not have expected such a remarkable run through the Kurpark. Her flight to London for Wimbledon has already had to be rebooked once again, while the house rented by Team Ruse in southwest London continues to sit empty.
“I guess I’ll have to change my plans,” said the 28-year-old, who has impressively advanced from qualifying into the semifinals.
There may also be a good omen ahead of the highly anticipated semifinal day: Ruse won her only WTA title to date at a tournament in Germany, capturing the title in Hamburg in 2021.
And in that final, the Romanian defeated none other than… Andrea Petkovic.
