VENUS WILLIAMS PRAISES BAD HOMBURG – NAOMI OSAKA'S MATCH SUSPENDED
Venus Williams Falls in Love with Bad Homburg Ahead of Tournament Debut. Even before playing her first match, Venus Williams has already fallen in love with the Kurpark. “Bad Homburg is beautiful. I had already heard that from the other players,” the tennis icon said enthusiastically, while also praising the tournament organizers: “The courts are excellent and very similar to those at Wimbledon. I can’t wait to play on Centre Court.”
The wait is almost over for the seven-time Grand Slam champion. On Monday (not before 3:30 p.m.), Venus Williams will play her highly anticipated opening match at the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt (through June 27) against Romanian qualifier Irina-Camelia Begu.
Excitement Builds for Venus Williams’ Kurpark Debut
Venus Williams has already spent nearly a week in Bad Homburg, and her verdict is clear: the 46-year-old is full of praise for both the tournament venue and its immaculate 8-millimeter grass courts. When one of the sport’s true grass-court specialists speaks so highly of the surface, it carries particular weight. After all, Williams captured five of her seven Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon.
At the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament, she is set to compete in doubles alongside her sister Serena Williams next week.
Fernandez and Boulter Set New Tournament Record – Osaka Resumes on Monday
Another former world No. 1 was already in action on Sunday. Naomi Osaka, however, was unable to secure her place in the round of 16 just yet. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who once again appeared in the golden sequined outfit she wore at the French Open, saw her first-round match suspended due to rain. Play will resume on Monday (not before 12:00 p.m.), with sixth-seeded Osaka leading Poland’s Magdalena Frech 5–4 in the opening set.
Meanwhile, Leylah Fernandez and Katie Boulter set a new tournament record. Fernandez’s 6–7, 6–3, 6–3 victory over the Brit lasted 3 hours and 12 minutes, making it the longest match in the history of the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt. The previous record was held by Victoria Azarenka and Alizé Cornet, whose encounter lasted 3 hours and 2 minutes in 2021.
In addition to Fernandez, Liudmila Samsonova has also advanced to the round of 16. She defeated former Bad Homburg champion Katerina Siniakova 6–3, 7–5.
Top seed and Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, newly crowned French Open champion Mirra Andreeva (WTA No. 2), Elina Svitolina (WTA No. 3), and Karolína Muchová (WTA No. 4) all received first-round byes.
