Iga Swiatek's Puzzle-Powered Triumph Leads to Bad Homburg Semi-Finals

Iga Swiatek secured her place in the Bad Homburg Open semi-finals with a victory over Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova, winning 6-4 7-6(5). Despite facing challenges such as 37 unforced errors, Swiatek's resilience was evident as she used crossword puzzles to maintain focus during a rain delay.

The Polish player, entering her only grasscourt tournament before Wimbledon, described the windy conditions as challenging and praised her opponent's skill set on grass. Swiatek broke Alexandrova twice to win the first set and managed to hold serve throughout the second set after the interruption.

She will face second-seed Jasmine Paolini next, whom she currently leads 4-0 in head-to-head matches. Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula overcame fellow American Emma Navarro to join Swiatek and Paolini in the semi-finals, setting up a match against the winner of Mirra Andreeva versus Linda Noskova.

(With inputs from agencies.)