Bad Homburg draw: Swiatek back on grass; rematch of 2024 final in first round

The third and final WTA 500 grass-court event of the year is upon us: the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt. The stage is officially set after the main draw was revealed this weekend.

Bad Homburg: Draws | Scores | Order of Play | 411

With one week to go before heading to Wimbledon, half of the Top 10 players in the PIF WTA Singles Rankings will test their grass-court skills in Bad Homburg, Germany.

There could be many rematches here in Bad Homburg, and one notable rematch is already guaranteed: last year's Bad Homburg final will be replayed in this year's opening round.

Main-draw play kicks off on Sunday, June 22. Here is a brief breakdown of the main-draw highlights:

First quarter

World No. 3 Jessica Pegula is the top seed, but she was done no favors by the draw. After her first-round bye, she could face Top 20 player Liudmila Samsonova in the second round for the second straight week.

Samsonova upset Pegula in the same round of this week's Berlin Tennis Open, saving two match points in a 3-hour and 21-minute marathon. Samsonova will first have to get past qualifier Katerina Siniakova if she wants another shot at Pegula. 

At the other side of this quarter is another rematch: No. 5 seed Emma Navarro will face Marta Kostyuk in the opening round, just as they did in Berlin. Kostyuk will try to avenge a 6-2, 6-3 loss in Berlin to Navarro.

The winner of that match could face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who is a wild card into the main draw. Osaka will meet qualifier Olga Danilovic in her opening match.

Second quarter

Mirra Andreeva gets the bye as the No. 3 seed. The 18-year-old is looking for her first grass-court win of the season after falling to Magdalena Frech in the Berlin first round.

Andreeva could have a rematch with Frech right away. Andreeva's second-round opponent will be either Frech or Clara Tauson, both Top 25 players.

This quarter also features a rematch of last year's final: defending champion and No. 6 seed Diana Shnaider will face 2024 runner-up Donna Vekic in the first round. One year ago, Shnaider beat Vekic 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 for the title.

Third quarter

Iga Swiatek will make her highly anticipated 2025 grass-court debut in this quarter. After her first-round bye, No. 4 seed Swiatek will meet either wild card Laura Siegemund or former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the second round.

This quarter also has a first-round match between No. 8 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and returning mom Belinda Bencic. Both Alexandrova and Bencic have WTA grass-court titles on their resumes.

Fourth quarter

No. 2 seed Jasmine Paolini anchors the draw. Last year's Wimbledon finalist Paolini will have a tricky first match in Bad Homburg: after her bye, she will take on either Queen's Club champion Tatjana Maria or Leylah Fernandez.

Also in this quarter is a first-round clash between No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina and Elise Mertens.