PREVIEW Bad Homburg Open Final: Jessica Pegula faces Iga Swiatek in tantalising pre-Wimbledon prospect

For Iga Swiatek it is ironically her chance to win her first title of the year on Saturday at the Bad Homburg Open compared to her opponent who has won two thus far in Jessica Pegula. Ironically as it comes off the back of her worst clay court run of her career onto a surface she usually struggles on.

But will this week be a caveat for Swiatek to thrive on grass or will it serve as a mere confidence booster on the road to getting her back to where she wants to be. Either way, the Bad Homburg Open will herald a winner that comes from the two biggest names in the field this week in Germany.

For Pegula first of all, it is a good opportunity ranking wise after losing all of her points last week from Berlin to get back-on-track. Also after a bit of a hellish few weeks for the American.

Pegula won the Charleston Open as well as reaching the final in Miami in the prior week and looked to be heading towards the World No.2 spot now occupied by a certain Coco Gauff who went on to win the French Open from nowhere in comparison to Pegula's pre Roland Garros run.

She went on to lose in the Quarter-Finals in Stuttgart, second round at Madrid to Uchijima before being defeated by prior nemesis Elise Mertens. She also finally lost to Anna Kalinskaya who has pushed her close many times in the past year including that Berlin final which she had to defend but then lost to Liudmila Samsonova in a grueling affair. This after she lost to Lois Boisson in Paris.

So it hasn't exactly been the summer to remember for Pegula, but it is what you do in the present and to end the grass court summer with this, Wimbledon and head onto the US Open where she had such golden memories last year no doubt will be a swap she takes.

This week though has been a confidence booster as she has weathered games that perhaps she would've lost before. She saw off Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-3 to open proceedings before coming through two tough tests.

Emma Navarro was defeated in three sets with the fellow American proving herself as a threat on all surfaces including grass last year. It has been more of a learning curve of a season for her since. But Pegula perhaps would've lost that last month.

Ironically the only headlines that came from this week was her hatred of hotels, Pegula that is. She then saw off Linda Noskova coming from a set down to grow into the tie winning 6-7, 7-5, 6-1.

Now Iga Swiatek awaits who has had an even poorer few months and was usurped by Pegula first of all back then. Well poor to her high standards. Defeats against Mirra Andreeva twice, Alexandra Eala in the US hard court sunshine double proved to be warning signs as she was beaten by Jelena Ostapenko again before slumping out of Madrid in the semi-finals to Coco Gauff.

She then was defeated by Danielle Collins in Rome who has previously only laid a glove on the former imperious World No.1 in the aggro stakes as opposed to on court but she then was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals at Roland Garros.

But Swiatek would no doubt shut any doubters up if she managed to win Wimbledon, a tournament she is not given a huge chance as ever to win due to not being good on grass since Juniors. Albeit Carlos Alcaraz wasn't a threat until he won Queen's, so it is very much a sample size that isn't a surity.

This week has also been a tough one as she survived against Victoria Azarenka and then saw off a real threat on the surface in Ekaterina Alexandrova. Jasmine Paolini reached the final of Wimbledon last year but was swept aside roundly 6-1, 6-3 before she then set up this tie with Pegula.

It would be her first title in over a year and is ironically her first WTA main tour grass court final. For a player who has done so much but is still so young, it would mark a new milestone she has surprisingly not achieved.

Jessica Pegula won their last meeting in the US Open Quarter-Finals but they have never faced off on grass in their protracted 6-4 rivalry in favour of Swiatek.

It is fairly even with the duo exchanging wins on different surfaces and mostly in America.

But Pegula is a grass court threat having won Berlin last year most recently so in reality should be favoured to seal this and it would be a real statement if Swiatek is able to snap that.

Swiatek would suddenly head into the public conscious again in what is a super wide open Wimbledon this year. A real thought to consider if she does pull it off today.