Mirra Andreeva bests Tauson as Bad Homburg quarterfinal lineup takes shape
All four of Wednesday's second-round matches at the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt went the full three sets, with No. 3 seed Mirra Andreeva View Profile wrapping up the day's play with a come-from-behind victory.
Bad Homburg: Draws | Scores | Order of Play
The 18-year-old Andreeva clinched a spot in her first career grass-court quarterfinal with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Clara Tauson View Profile in the evening match. Andreeva needed 1 hour and 49 minutes to defeat 23rd-ranked Tauson and complete the Bad Homburg quarterfinal lineup.
Andreeva had been winless on grass for nearly two years: her most recent victory on the surface came in the third round of 2023 Wimbledon, and she was 0-2 on grass in 2024. But after a three-set loss to Magdalena Frech View Profile last week in Berlin, the teen is back on track on the turf.
The win also maintained Andreeva's perfect record against Tauson. The pair met for the first time in this year's WTA 1000 Dubai final, and they faced off again at Indian Wells and Rome, with Andreeva prevailing on all of those occasions.
"We’ve played against each other on every surface, so I knew that it’s gonna be tricky," Andreeva said on court, after her match. "She’s a very aggressive player and on grass, it makes a lot of difference.
"I don’t know if I managed to stay calm, but I just tried to fight for every point and put as many balls back in the court as I can, and just fight."
Andreeva will take on another rising young talent in the quarterfinals: 20-year-old Linda Noskova View Profile of the Czech Republic. Noskova was another three-set winner on Wednesday, defeating last year's Bad Homburg runner-up Donna Vekic View Profile 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Andreeva has a 3-1 head-to-head lead over Noskova. The Czech won their first meeting at 2024 Brisbane, but Andreeva has beaten Noskova three times since then. This will be their first meeting on grass.
Here's what else happened on a busy Wednesday in Bad Homburg:
Haddad Maia outlasts Svitolina: Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia View Profile booked her spot in the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(7) win over No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina View Profile of Ukraine in 2 hours and 27 minutes.
The first career meeting between the Top 25 stars lived up to the billing. In the decisive tiebreak, Haddad Maia had a 6-3 lead before Svitolina charged back to 6-6. Haddad Maia at last converted her fifth match point to reach her second quarterfinal of the season.
Former World No. 10 Haddad Maia has already shown aptitude on grass. The Brazilian posted a 12-match winning streak on the surface in 2022, which included consecutive titles at Nottingham and Birmingham.
Haddad Maia will face No. 2 seed Jasmine Paolini View Profile of Italy in the quarterfinals. Paolini has won all three of their prior meetings, but this will be their first match on grass.
Alexandrova upends Sakkari: No. 8 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova View Profile moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3 win over Greek wild card Maria Sakkari View Profile in 2 hours and 14 minutes on Wednesday.
Sakkari, a former World No. 3 currently ranked 85th, has had Alexandrova's number in the past. Sakkari beat Alexandrova in six of their seven previous meetings -- and that one prior loss came via retirement.
But Alexandrova, a two-time WTA titlist on grass ('s-Hertogenbosch in 2022 and 2023), defied the head-to-head this time in their first grass-court encounter. Alexandrova is now 5-0 this year against players ranked outside the Top 75.
Alexandrova's quarterfinal opponent will be No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek View Profile . Former World No. 1 Swiatek holds a slim 3-2 lead in their head-to-head, and they have never met on grass.
