BAD HOMBURG, Germany: World number three Jessica Pegula beat Poland's Iga Swiatek in straight sets to win her third title of the season at Bad Homburg on Saturday, two days before Wimbledon starts.
The 31-year-old won 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 46 minutes in the northern suburbs of Frankfurt for her second title on grass, after Berlin last year.
The US Open finalist now trails Swiatek 6-5 in their meetings, but has won four of her last six contests with the former world number one, who was appearing in her first final on grass.
The American played solidly on serve, conceding only one break point in the first set, which she avoided with a clever serve-and-drop combination.
Pegula then converted her third break point at three-games all to take a decisive lead and clinch the set.
In the second set, Swiatek piled up unforced errors. Pegula took the Polish player's serve at 5-5 with a superb forehand crosscourt shot from the baseline.
Top seed Pegula did not falter on her serve to hand Swiatek a fifth defeat in 27 finals on the tour.
Pegula added to her trophies in Austin (hard court) and Charleston (clay) this season.
She now boasts nine career titles — five in the last 12 months.
"This tournament shows there's hope for me on grass," joked Swiatek after wiping away a few tears of disappointment.
The five-time Grand Slam winner was playing her first final on a grass court, two years after reaching the semi-finals in Bad Homburg, her best previous result on the surface.
Swiatek was playing in her first final in a year since she lifted her fourth French Open trophy at Roland Garros in 2024, and looking for her 23rd career title.
The former US Open champion will face Russian Polina Kudermetova, ranked 63, at Wimbledon.
Pegula, whose best result at Wimbledon was a quarter-final appearance in 2023, will open her campaign on Tuesday against 122nd-ranked Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto. — AFP
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