Swiatek Dominates Paolini in Bad Homburg to Reach First Final in a Year

This Friday marked the semifinals in Bad Homburg, where Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini faced off in the afternoon for the first spot in the WTA 500 final. Both ranked in the top 10, the Polish and Italian players aimed to fine-tune their games ahead of Wimbledon.

Swiatek, playing her first grass-court tournament this season, advanced to the semifinals with wins over Victoria Azarenka (6-4, 6-4) and Ekaterina Alexandrova (6-4, 7-6). Meanwhile, Paolini defeated Leylah Fernandez (7-6, 7-6) and Beatriz Haddad Maia (7-5, 7-5).

This match was their fifth meeting on the WTA tour, with Swiatek holding a perfect 4-0 record against Paolini and looking to extend her dominance over the world No. 4. Though not always at ease on grass, Swiatek delivered a commanding performance.

With 4 aces and 5 breaks (out of 11 break points), the five-time Grand Slam champion remained composed throughout, efficiently securing her spot in her first WTA grass-court final—the 27th of her career and her first since Roland Garros in 2024.

Swiatek triumphed in straight sets (6-1, 6-3 in 1 hour and 5 minutes) and will now face either Linda Noskova or Jessica Pegula on Saturday afternoon for a shot at her 23rd professional title on German grass.