Pegula downs Swiatek to win Bad Homburg grass-court title / Photo: Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV - AFP
Pegula downs Swiatek to win Bad Homburg grass-court title
World number three Jessica Pegula beat Poland's Iga Swiatek in straight sets to win her third title of the season at Bad Homburg on Saturday, two days before Wimbledon starts.
The 31-year-old American won through 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 46 minutes in the northern suburbs of Frankfurt for her second title on grass after Berlin last year.
The US Open finalist now trails Swiatek 6-5 in their meetings, but has won four of her last six contests with the former world number one who was appearing in her first final on grass.
A break in either set was enough for Pegula to come through and add to her trophies in Austin (hard court) and Charleston (clay) this season.
She now boasts nine career titles -- five of which have come in the last 12 months.
She opens her Wimbledon campaign on Tuesday against 122nd-ranked Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto, with her best result in the grass-court Grand Slam being a quarter-final appearance in 2023.
Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek was playing in her first final in a year since she lifted her fourth French Open trophy at Roland Garros in 2024.
Former US Open champion Swiatek will face Russian Polina Kudermetova, ranked 63, at Wimbledon.
S.Sadoun--al-Hayat
