Osaka and Azarenka Advance at Bad Homburg Ahead of Wimbledon

Former world No. 1s Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka both secured their spots in the second round of the Wimbledon warm-up tournament at Bad Homburg on Monday.

Osaka Ends Losing Streak in Hard-Fought Match

Japan’s Naomi Osaka battled through a tough match against Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic, winning 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) in just over two hours. Osaka served up 16 aces in a contest marked by powerful serves from both players, with Danilovic hitting 10.

This victory is a significant one for Osaka, halting a three-match losing streak that included losses in Rome, the French Open, and Berlin. It marks a positive step in her comeback following maternity leave last year. The four-time Grand Slam winner saved four break points and came back from 4-2 down in the first-set tie-break. In the second-set tie-break, a crucial challenge on a called ace and a subsequent double fault from Danilovic helped Osaka take a commanding 3-1 lead, eventually closing out the match with a forehand winner.

Osaka will now face fifth seed Emma Navarro of the United States in the second round.

Azarenka Dominates, Sets Up Clash with Swiatek

Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, had to qualify for the main draw but showed her experience by comfortably defeating Germany’s wild card Laura Siegemund 6-2, 6-2.

Azarenka, 35, will have a much tougher test in the second round as she is set to meet world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland.

Vekic Avenge Last Year’s Loss

In other matches, Croatia’s Donna Vekic successfully avenged her loss in last year’s Bad Homburg final. She secured a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 victory over sixth-seeded Diana Shnaider, saving all four break points she faced. Vekic will play Czech Linda Noskova next, who defeated Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-2.