Iga Swiatek conquers Ekaterina Alexandrova in Bad Homburg thriller, eyes first grass final

Iga Swiatek secured a quarterfinal victory at the WTA 500 Bad Homburg Open over Ekaterina Alexandrova by 6-4, 7-6(5), advancing to the semifinals in her only grass-court tournament before Wimbledon. The 5-time Grand Slam champion survived a grueling second set, stepping on the gas at the decisive moment.

The Pole is quietly preparing for Wimbledon, aiming to rectify the course of her season – and why not – fight for her 6th Grand Slam title. After falling to World No. 8, Swiatek appears to be in good form to contend for another major, despite her historically mixed results on grass courts.

First Set

The first set started well for Swiatek, who secured an early break to take the lead. However, Alexandrova reacted quickly and broke back. This was short-lived, as the Russian, for the second time in a row, offered a break opportunity, and the former World No. 1 seized it.

After gaining an early advantage, Swiatek managed to solidify her serve, and both players held their service games with relative ease. There were no new break points throughout the set, and Swiatek ultimately took the lead with a 6-4. Alexandrova's poor 48% first-serve percentage proved costly against arguably one of the best returners on tour, who converted 2/3 break points in the set.

Second Set

Things became more even in the second set after Alexandrova saved a couple of break opportunities against her in the first game. This time, the World No. 18 showed better things from the return, putting more balls in play to extend rallies, although Swiatek was usually more effective in long points.

The Pole saved a 0-40 situation when trailing 1-2 and maintained a tight contest. The set stretched beyond an hour without either player managing to secure a break, and everything came down to a tie-break in a set full of tension. The effectiveness didn't drop in the tie-break, where they reached 4-4 without mini-breaks. Nevertheless, Swiatek secured a couple of mini-breaks in the final part and clinched the victory on her second match point with a 6-4, 7-6(5) score.

The Pole advances to the semifinals, while she has never reached a grass-court final in her career. She will have the chance to reach one for the first time in her career when she faces a familiar opponent: World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini, whom she defeated in the 2024 Roland Garros final.

Match Statistics Alexandrova vs. Swiatek