'So cut yourself some slack': Jessica Pegula has some advice for Iga Swiatek after beating her at Homburg Open

America’s Jessica Pegula has asked Poland’s Iga Swiatek to cut ‘some slack’ after losing in the final of the Homburg Open. Pegula came out on top in the final of the WTA event on Saturday in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-5.

After the defeat, Swiatek expressed disappointment and stated: "This tournament shows that there's hope for me on grass, so I'm happy that I can play here." In response to that, Pegula asked Swiatek to go easy on herself. "I know, you say can't play on grass, but trust me, you're still very, very good on grass,” she said. "So cut yourself some slack there."

Despite the result, Swiatek’s run in Homburg was the best this year. Before that, she suffered defeats in the semifinals on five occasions. At the Australian Open, Swiatek lost to Madison Keys with a score of 5-7, 6-1, 6-7. Then, at the Qatar Open, Swiatek came second-best against Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-1.

Swiatek’s subsequent defeat in the semifinal of the Indian Wells to Russia’s Mirra Andreeva with a score of 7-6, 1-6, 6-3. At the Madrid Open, she lost to Coco Gauff in the semifinal in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-1. Her last defeat in the semifinals came at the French Open, where Aryna Sabalenka emerged victorious with a score of 7-6, 4-6, 6-0. She will begin her French Open campaign against Russia’s Polina Kudermetova. It will be the first meeting between the two players.

On the other hand, it was the second title Pegula lifted this year. Before the Homburg Open, Pegula defeated Sofia Kenin in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-5. Pegula will face Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the round of 128 at Wimbledon on Tuesday. It will be the second meeting between the two players. In the previous meeting, which was at Wimbledon in 2023, Pegula came out on top in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-0.