Lawn experts strike: Caroline Garcia wins Bad Homburg, Petra Kvitova in Eastbourne
Caroline Garcia and Petra Kvitova did the dress rehearsals for Wimbledon with flying colors - and set an example in difficult career phases.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jun 25, 2022, 04:50 pm
Garcia won the final in Bad Homburg against Bianca Andreescu 6: 7 (5), 6: 4, 6: 4 and thus won her eighth singles title on the WTA tour - the third of them on grass. Garcia last won in Nottingham in 2019.
The 28-year-old worked up a sweat again at the end when she was a little annoying in the final game, but then Andreescu also hit a simple forehand into the net. Garcia then showed guts and took the win after 2 hours and 45 minutes. "It's my first time in Bad Homburg, it's such a great event," said Garcia afterwards.
Things hadn't gone too well for the French lately in singles, in 2018 she was still 4th in the world, currently even after injury problems she is only ranked 75th. Thanks to her victory in Bad Homburg, she will make up around 20 places.
But Andreescu can also be satisfied with her week. The US Open winner from 2019 was also out a long time and only celebrated her comeback at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. In Bad Homburg she was on grass for the first time in a final and had to shed a few tears at the award ceremony as she thanked her team for their support in the past.
At the end of last year, Andreescu declared that he was struggling with psychological problems and was therefore taking a break.
Petra Kvitova: Fifth tournament victory on grass
Meanwhile, at the parallel tournament in Eastbourne, Petra Kvitova struck and also demonstrated her strength on grass. The two-time Wimbledon champion had a difficult start to the season, and is currently only ranked 31st.
But now she showed her class again when it comes to grass, beat Jelena Ostapenko 6:3, 6:2 in the final and won her 29th tournament - the fifth of them on grass.