Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek says she “showed there is hope” for her on grass despite losing to American Jessica Pegula in the Bad Homburg Open final.
Former world number one Swiatek was playing in her first grass-court final but was edged out 6-4 7-5 by Pegula.
Despite being a former junior champion at Wimbledon, Swiatek has struggled on the quicker grass surface in her professional career. Her 22 WTA titles to date have either been won on hard courts (12) or clay (10).
Poland’s four-time French Open and one-time US Open champion reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2023 but has not gone beyond the fourth round in any of her other four appearances there.
She has appeared to turn a corner in Germany this week, recording her first victory over a top-10 player on grass by crushing last year’s Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-1 6-3 in the semi-finals.
“This tournament shows there is hope for me on grass,” said Swiatek, who appeared to be on the verge of tears after her loss. “I’m happy we can play here and I’m happy I could prove that.”