Osaka Cruises, Indonesian Duo Advances on Day of Contrasts at Bad Homburg
Naomi Osaka stormed into the Bad Homburg semifinals with a 59-minute win, while Indonesian doubles pair Aldila Sutjiadi and Vera Zvonareva also advanced and Janice Tjen exited in Eastbourne.
Naomi Osaka delivered a commanding performance on the grass of Bad Homburg, overwhelming Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-2 in just 59 minutes. The Japanese world number 15, seeded sixth, lost her opening service game but then reeled off eight consecutive games—a run that included 15 straight points—to seize control. Alexandrova, ranked 19th, briefly steadied to hold serve twice in the second set, but Osaka closed out the match without facing further alarm. “I feel really good right now,” Osaka said afterwards, crediting coach Tomas Wiktorowski for helping her understand the surface. The victory leaves her one win away from a first career grass-court final.
Indonesian tennis found cause for celebration in the doubles draw, where Aldila Sutjiadi and her Russian partner Vera Zvonareva overwhelmed Slovenia’s Andreja Klepac and Nika Radisic 6-1, 6-2. The pair won 81 per cent of points behind their first serve, committed no double faults, and converted five of 11 break points. Their semifinal opponents will be Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan and China’s Wang Xinyu—the same Wang who awaits Osaka in the singles last four after advancing via a walkover when Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina withdrew citing exhaustion.
At the WTA 250 event in Eastbourne, the day brought a narrow defeat for Indonesia’s Janice Tjen and Hong Kong’s Eudice Chong. The duo fell 4-6, 6-3, 7-10 in a super tiebreak to Dutch-British pair Isabelle Haverlag and Maia Lumsden. Tied at 7-7 in the deciding breaker, they conceded the final three points. Tjen had earlier lost her singles first-round match to American Caty McNally in a three-hour contest.
The Bad Homburg Open, a WTA 500 tournament with a $1.2 million prize fund, is a key Wimbledon warm-up. Last year’s champion Jessica Pegula is not defending her title. In the other singles semifinal, Romania’s Elena-Gabriel Ruse advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 win over American Emma Navarro. Wang Xinyu now faces the unusual challenge of contesting both singles and doubles semifinals on the same day, against Osaka and the Sutjiadi/Zvonareva combination respectively.
How the same story is told elsewhere.
2 editorial groups · 1 languages
The Indonesian press reports a day of mixed fortunes for its players. Aldila Sutjiadi and Vera Zvonareva cruised into the Bad Homburg semifinals with a commanding 6-1 6-2 win, while Janice Tjen and Eudice Chong fell in a tight super tie-break at Eastbourne. The focus remains firmly on national pride and the contrasting outcomes on the grass.
Russian media note Ekaterina Alexandrova's exit from Bad Homburg at the hands of Naomi Osaka, a straightforward 6-2 6-2 defeat. The coverage is dry and matter-of-fact, simply recording the failure to reach the semifinals without delving into reasons or future prospects.
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