Swiatek, Pegula advance at WTA Bad Homburg Open

Fourth seed Iga Swiatek overcame a slow start to defeat Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-4 at the WTA Bad Homburg Open on Tuesday. 

After trailing 2-4, Swiatek broke Azarenka for 4-3 and held serve to level.  The Pole broke again for 5-4 and saved two break points in a tense final game before Azarenka sent a forehand wide to concede the set.

Swiatek had never reached the final of a grass-court tournament before. Her best performance at Wimbledon was the 2023 quarter-finals. The 24-year-old led 2-1 in the second set and fended off another break point with a backhand.

The players traded breaks early in the second set before Swiatek pulled away. After breaking for 4-3, the top seed held serve twice more to seal the win in straight sets.

In other action, top seed Jessica Pegula beat Czech qualifier Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-3. 

Pegula won the first set in a battle of familiar foes whose best encounters had come on grass and the American went down the line to lead 3-1 in the second set.

Pegula previously defeated the Czech in the Berlin quarterfinals en route to her first grass-court title. She dominated the second set 6-3 and the world number three will play fellow American Emma Navarro in the last eight.

Meanwhile, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka's poor form continued after she fell 6-4, 6-4 against the American fifth seed.