OSAKA BIDS FOR HER FIRST KURPARK SEMIFINAL – HUGE CHEERS FOR VENUS WILLIAMS

Naomi Osaka has already won four Grand Slam titles – but a grass-court title is still missing from the résumé of the former world No. 1. At the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt, the Japanese star appears to be on the right track to building confidence ahead of the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. On Thursday (not before 1:00 p.m.), sixth seed Osaka will face Ekaterina Alexandrova for a place in her first Bad Homburg semifinal.

The 28-year-old Osaka, who is once again competing in her signature gold sequined dress, as she did at the French Open, has become one of the crowd favourites in Bad Homburg this week. However, the undisputed fan favourite is Venus Williams. The seven-time Grand Slam champion and one of the most successful players of the past decades was celebrated with chants from the crowd after reaching the doubles quarterfinals alongside Alexandra Eala.

Former Roland Garros Finalist Muchova Impresses

There was less reason to celebrate for Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek and French Open winner Mirra Andreeva, who both failed to advance to the quarterfinals in temperatures reaching up to 36 degrees Celsius. Swiatek lost her first grass-court match of the season to Emma Navarro, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, while Andreeva was beaten 3-6, 4-6 by hard-hitting Alexandrova.

Former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova, competing in Bad Homburg powered by Solarwatt for the first time, made a particularly strong impression. The Czech player gave experienced Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu little chance in a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory. After the match, Muchova revealed some of her hobbies:

“I really enjoy playing the guitar and the piano. And I sing when I’m alone.”

On Thursday (not before 5:00 p.m.), the world No. 11 will face rising Danish star Clara Tauson. Two-time Bad Homburg semifinalist Emma Navarro will take on Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse (not before 3:30 p.m.). China’s Xinyu Wang has already secured her place in the semifinals after Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) was forced to withdraw with a hip injury.

Great Offer for Fans: Williams Match on Wednesday Free of Charge

‍Fans also had the opportunity on Wednesday to watch Venus Williams and Alexandra Eala compete in doubles on Helvetia Match Court 1 free of charge. No other tournament offers free access to all courts except the Centre Court. The motto of the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt is clear: Wimbledon flair combined with a summer festival atmosphere and world-class tennis for the whole family. Last year, among others, two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka also played on the Helvetia Match Courts.

Williams and Eala defeated Catherine Harrison and Alexandra Osborne (USA/Australia) 6-3, 6-4 in the doubles round of 16 and will face second seeds Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls (Slovakia/Great Britain) on Thursday morning (11:00 a.m.).

To make spectators’ stay at the picturesque TC Bad Homburg venue – which will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2026 – as comfortable as possible despite the high temperatures, cooling water mist stations have been installed throughout the grounds.