Photo credit: Bad Homburg Facebook
Disarmed for a set-and-a-half, Jessica Pegula made a rousing run to the Bad Homburg final.
Down a set and 3-5, a determined Pegula drove through 10 of the last 11 games defeating Linda Noskova 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-1 to continue her season-long semifinal success.
The top-seeded Pegula improved to 5-0 in semifinals this season.
Charleston champion Pegula will play for her third title of the season facing Iga Swiatek in tomorrow’s final.
It’s the first time since the 2019 Wimbledon final when Simona Halep upset Serena Williams that two Top 10 women will face off in a Tour-level grass-court final.
Today, Pegula withstood 15 aces from the 20-year-old Czech, who tightened up a bit late in the second set.
Pegula converted five of 16 break-point chances. The flat-hitting American will play for her ninth career title and second on grass a year after she won Berlin on lawn.
In today’s first semifinal, Swiatek swept 2024 Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini 6-1, 6-3.
It is Swiatek’s first final since she pounded Paolini in the 2024 Roland Garros title match—and the Pole’s first career Tour-level grass-court final.
The five-time Grand Slam champion improved to 4-0 lifetime against the second-seeded Paolini.
Afterward, Swiatek staged a mini Caroline Garcia-esque airplane celebration extending her arms in front of her court-side seat and smiling to her box.
"I wasn't expecting to win this match, so I'm happy that I just did my job," Swiatek said. "I knew how I wanted to play and I just went for it.
“I'm happy I kept the momentum going until the end of the match, Jasmine, you can't let her get back in the game because she's a fighter. I just wanted to go for it, and go for my shots."
World No. 8 Swiatek is 6-4 lifetime vs. Pegula, but the American won their most recent meetings in the 2024 US Open quarterfinals.