Dynamic Italian Jasmine Paolini will feel a little deflated coming into this week’s Bad Homburg Open. Paolini shocked the entire tennis world with her performances last season, reaching back-to-back Grand Slam finals in Paris and London.
2025 WTA Tour
WTA 500
Bad Homburg Open
TC Bad Homburg, Bad Homburg, Germany (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 32 and Round of 16 Matches- 24th June
Round of 16
Jasmine Paolini (2) 0.44 vs Leylah Fernandez 1.75
She started this season slowly but predictably came into her own during the clay-court swing, reaching the semifinals in Stuttgart before claiming a title in Rome. She threw away a one-set lead in her 4th round French Open clash with Elina Svitolina, losing plenty of precious ranking points after her runner-up finish last year. She was then completely outclassed in her first grass-court match in Berlin, going down to surface specialist Ons Jabeur 1-6, 3-6. Paolini will be looking to get a little more grass-court action under her belt as she prepares to defend more Grand Slam final points at SW19.
This has been a tough old season for 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez. The elegant Canadian lefty reached the quarters in Abu Dhabi but struggled after that, facing early exits at Indian Wells, Madrid, Strasbourg and Paris. She lost to Tatjana Maria in her opening Queens clash (the German would unbelievably go on to win this year’s historic Queens crown). The Canadian showed signs of improvement in Nottingham, going down to Yastremska in the quarterfinal stage. She got a measure of revenge in her Bad Homburg opener, taking down Queens conquer Tatjana Maria 6-0, 7-6. Fernandez gave a complete performance against Maria, winning 77% of her first-serve points while winning an impressive 44% of all return points. Fernandez has some grass-court clout, finishing runner-up in Eastbourne last season.
The Verdict: Paolini to win in straight sets at 1- Fernandez leads the head-to-head 3-1, winning their first three matches in straight sets. Paolini won their most recent clash, prevailing in straight sets in Dubai last year. This match should give Paolini the perfect chance to bounce back after Berlin. Jabeur routed Paolini last week, using her renowned courtcraft to bamboozle the Italian. Fernandez is a more traditional counterpuncher and Paolini should be able to find her range quite easily.
