OSAKA ADVANCES TO THE ROUND OF 16 – SWIATEK SET FOR CLASH OF FORMER WORLD NO. 1S ON TUESDAY

After a tough battle and two successful tiebreaks, Naomi Osaka smiled with relief at the crowd: With a 7–6 (8–6), 7–6 (7–4) victory over qualifier Olga Danilovic, the former world number one marked a successful debut at the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt. Now, the four-time Grand Slam champion from Japan faces a real test in the round of 16 on Wednesday: world number ten Emma Navarro awaits. It’s just one of many high-profile matchups currently unfolding in the historic Kurpark.

On Tuesday, the most successful active player on the WTA Tour also enters the tournament: Iga Swiatek (five Major titles), who received a first-round bye, will take on Victoria Azarenka in the round of 16 on the Spielbank Bad Homburg Centre Court (not before 4:00 p.m.). A tantalizing encounter: both players have held the world number one ranking.

Swiatek vs. Azarenka: Seven Grand Slam titles on Centre Court

‍Two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka defeated Laura Siegemund 6–2, 6–2 in the opening round on Monday. Siegemund had just won the doubles title in Nottingham the day before. “I was very grateful for the wildcard and of course would have liked to make more of it here in Bad Homburg,” said the 37-year-old, who was the last remaining German player in the draw after Tatjana Maria, Eva Lys, and Nastasja Schunk were eliminated.

In a rematch of last year’s final, Donna Vekic got her revenge on defending champion Diana Shnaider, advancing to the round of 16 with a 6–3, 6–3 win. She will now face Linda Noskova, who beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6–3, 6–2.

Excitement for fan favorite Swiatek is palpable around the Kurpark. The Pole is one of five Top 10 players in the strongest main draw the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt has ever seen. In just a few weeks, she hopes to finally capture the Wimbledon title – the one major still missing from her résumé. She did, however, win the junior title at Wimbledon in 2018. Coincidentally, that same year, Angelique Kerber became immortal on the hallowed turf of Church Road – coached at the time by none other than Wim Fissette, who now coaches Swiatek. Perhaps a good omen!

Goosebumps: Boris Becker and Andrea Petkovic on Centre Court

‍On Monday, Boris Becker also made an appearance on the Spielbank Bad Homburg Centre Court. Just ahead of the 40th anniversary of his first Wimbledon victory in 1985, he recorded a live podcast with his co-host Andrea Petkovic – another new highlight in this year’s side program. “I’m very happy to be in Bad Homburg. The color green is wonderful,” said Becker, looking out over the grass.

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