Preview Bad Homburg Open Semifinals: Swiatek vs Paolini headlines as Jessica Pegula faces surprise package

The semifinals of the Bad Homburg Open are set, with three of the four top favorites vying for a spot in the final. Jessica Pegula enters as the ranking favorite against teenager Linda Noskova, who comes in after a surprising upset over Mirra Andreeva.

On the other side, 5-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek will face Jasmine Paolini in a rematch of the 2024 Roland Garros final. This time on grass courts, Swiatek will be looking for her first final on the surface as she prepares for Wimbledon.

The first seed, Pegula, emerged victorious from a tough encounter against her compatriot Emma Navarro and is now seeking her second grass-court final. The world No. 2 is leaving behind her recent loss at the Berlin Ladies Open. The American reaches her 5th semifinal of the season (with a 4-0 record in previous semifinals). On her path, she defeated Katerina Siniakova (6-2, 6-3) and Emma Navarro (6-4, 1-6, 6-3).

She will face the surprise package, Linda Noskova, who arrives in an inspired state. She defeated Ajla Tomljanovic (6-3, 6-2), the 2024 Wimbledon semifinalist Donna Vekic (2-6, 6-2, 6-4), and world No. 6 Mirra Andreeva (6-3, 6-3). The 19-year-old Czech had never reached semifinals on grass courts before and is just one win away from her career-best ranking (currently No. 27).

They have only one previous encounter, which was this year in Dubai, where Noskova claimed a straight-sets victory against the 5th seed. It will be a tricky challenge for Pegula against an opponent who did not concede her serve against Andreeva and has accumulated a total of 25 aces in her three matches.

Iga Swiatek is looking for another opportunity to redeem herself after an inconsistent period, and she faces a big challenge in the semifinals. The ghost of six consecutive semifinal losses in tournaments looms, and she will be aiming to reach her first grass-court final. The Pole brings good form with wins over Victoria Azarenka (6-4, 6-4) and Ekaterina Alexandrova (6-4, 7-6). The 5-time Grand Slam champion has already climbed 4 spots in the live rankings, reaching World No. 4 for now. However, if she is defeated by Paolini, the Italian will reclaim the 4th position, leaving Swiatek at No. 5.

Paolini has more than proven her merits on grass courts, reaching the 2024 Wimbledon final, where she fell in three sets to Barbora Krejcikova. The Italian defeated Leylah Fernandez 7-6(10-8), 7-6(8-6) and Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-5, 7-5 in two tough encounters on her way to the semis. In both matches, Paolini showed her class as a Top-5 player and was the most efficient in crucial moments. The head-to-head record is currently 4-0 in favor of Swiatek, including the 2024 Roland Garros final. This will be a good chance for revenge for Paolini, with conditions that suit her better and that the Pole has not yet fully adapted to.