Swiatek mounts comeback to defeat Tatjana Maria in Bad Homburg first round

Iga Swiatek defeated Tatjana Maria 5-7, 6-2, 6-0, and advanced to the second round of the Bad Homburg tournament.

The Polish player made her debut on the grass season, as she decided to only play this tournament as preparation for Wimbledon. The recent French Open champion entered the Bad Homburg event and faced some challenges in the first round.

The German player came into the match with a 7-3 record on grass, including reaching the final of the Veneto Open last week (lost to Ashley Krueger). Currently ranked world No. 58, the 35-year-old tennis player is a formidable opponent on grass, having reached the semifinals at Wimbledon last year.

Right from the start, Tatjana Maria showed her hunger to win on grass and put Swiatek in trouble, as the Polish player had a shaky start in the first set. The German player lost her serve in the opening game of the match and made several unforced errors during the set. Swiatek managed to break back at 4-4, but Maria took advantage of a break point at 5-5 to take the set.

However, in the second set, Swiatek showcased her usual level of play. She won 86% of the points on her serve, secured two breaks, and dominated the match, displaying great superiority over her opponent. This forced the match into a third set.

The third set was even better than the second, with impeccable shots from the baseline by the 4-time Grand Slam champion, leaving behind the unforced errors from the first set. The world No. 1 capitalized on all three break points she had and recorded a bagel, which sends her to the second round.

In her next match, she will face Jil Teichmann, who came through the qualifying rounds and defeated American player Claire Liu in the first round.