Tennis-Top seed Pegula eases past Swiatek to win Bad Homburg title

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BAD HOMBURG, Germany (Reuters) -Top seed Jessica Pegula contained Iga Swiatek’s heavy topspin game on grass to earn a 6-4 7-5 victory on Saturday and lift the Bad Homburg Open title.

The American held serve throughout and gave up just one breakpoint in the match, denying the Pole her first career title on grass, just two days before the start of Wimbledon.

Swiatek has not won a singles title since her 2024 French Open victory.

“I know you say you can’t play on grass but you are very, very good on grass,” Pegula said, addressing Swiatek after the match. “It was a special week.”

Pegula won a break at 3-3 in the first set to move 5-3 up.

The 31-year-old world number three, chasing her third title of 2025 and her first since April, landed the first set soon afterwards when the Pole sent a forehand long.

Swiatek put up a fight in the second set, edging close to a break but failing to carve out a break point.

It was Pegula who earned a breakpoint at 5-5 and she converted it with a sizzling crosscourt forehand.

Pegula held serve to seal her second career title on grass, following last year’s win in Berlin.

For Swiatek, who shed tears while waiting for the trophy ceremony, it was still a successful week after reaching her first career final on the surface.

“You have an amazing game and you showed it throughout the tournament,” Swiatek told Pegula. “Hopefully we will have many more finals together.”

“I feel it is going a good way and thank you for the opportunity to play here. This tournament shows there is hope for me on grass,” Swiatek said.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, Editing by Timothy Heritage)