Osaka reaches – Naomi Osaka reached her first WTA Tour grass-court final by beating Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-3 in 70 minutes at Bad Homburg. Karolina Muchova earned the other spot with a 6-4, 6-4 win over qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse after a heat delay of more than 90 minutes betwe
By the time Naomi Osaka finished off Wang Xinyu, the moment didn’t feel historic because Osaka treated it like something routine—until you remembered how long it had taken to arrive.
On Friday in Bad Homburg. Osaka closed out a 6-3. 6-3 semifinal win in 70 minutes. reaching her first WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz grass-court final. She needed only her first career meeting with Wang to become a milestone: when it was over. Osaka laughed at the idea of still collecting “firsts. ” even as a four-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1.
“It’s funny to still be (achieving) milestones at my old age,” Osaka said afterward with a laugh. “For me, it’s really fun and I’m really happy.”
Saturday will bring her a familiar opponent in a brand-new setting. Osaka will face Karolina Muchova, also contesting her first grass-court final after the No. 4 seed beat qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour and 40 minutes. The match was stretched by an extreme heat delay of more than 90 minutes between sets.
Osaka and Muchova have met five times, with Osaka holding a 3-2 lead in the head-to-head. Osaka won both of their matchups last season in the Australian Open second round and the US Open quarterfinals—but this will be their first meeting on grass.
The semifinal against Wang showed why Osaka’s run has felt so inevitable this week. She didn’t drop a set in wins over Magdalena Frech, Elise Mertens, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Wang. Against Wang, she again dominated behind her first serve, striking eight aces and winning 79% of her first-serve points. She faced only one break point.
As temperatures climbed toward 100 degrees Fahrenheit, Osaka began aggressively, hitting four of her 11 winners in the opening game. She then settled in. slowing the pace and forcing Wang to go big in an effort to shorten points in the heat. Osaka pounced first, breaking for 4-2 and never looking back to take the first set.
In the second set, Osaka struck first again. She capitalized on a rash of unforced errors off Wang’s forehand—the shot that had been behind her best moments and where Wang began to unravel. Wang earned her lone break to level at 2-2. but Osaka responded immediately with three straight breaks to regain control at 3-2. More errors sealed the outcome, including back-to-back double faults that sent Osaka into the final.
The next milestone. if Osaka gets it. would be her first grass-court title—and it would also be her first title since the 2021 Australian Open. Since lifting that trophy five years ago, Osaka has lost three tour-level finals. She did win a WTA 125 title last year in Saint-Malo on clay. but a Bad Homburg title would be her first tour-level championship on a surface other than hard courts.
“I know people don’t count it, but I won a clay tournament,” Osaka said. “I know it’s a (WTA 125). so it doesn’t really count for the WTA. but for me it meant a lot because it was on clay. And obviously this one would mean a lot because it’s on grass and those are surfaces that I haven’t won on before.
“So in that regard it would mean a lot, but otherwise I just came here with the goal of playing matches before Wimbledon, and I was able to accomplish that. Hopefully I win one more tomorrow.”
If Osaka’s semifinal ended decisively, Muchova’s semifinal felt like it might never settle—until it did. The Czech broke Ruse in the final game of both sets to earn the win, in a match marked by heat, tension, and chances that swung late.
The last break came after Ruse broke Muchova as she served for the match at 5-3. moments after Muchova failed to convert two match points on Ruse’s serve at 5-2. Ruse raised her level as the conditions punished both players. but Muchova stayed composed enough to close out the victory and even joke afterward.
“In this heat, I don’t remember what (happened) a minute ago,” Muchova said in her on-court interview. “I don’t know what’s happening here in Bad Homburg. This weather is crazy. I’m surprised that again, I’ll repeat myself, there’s so many people here. I don’t know how you guys do it.
“And yeah, I mean we had the break. Me and my team went to the village, had some bread, had some time off, so that was nice. I think she started to play very good at the end so I’m happy I managed to get the break and I’m happy I can go for another drink now.”
Muchova’s performance carried numbers that match the story. She won 85% of her first-serve points and. for the second time in a row. hit more winners than unforced errors (18 to 15). The scoreline stayed tight enough to keep pressure high: Ruse had a chance to break for 5-4 in the opening set. Muchova saved it with a volley winner before breaking in the next game to take the set. Even so, Muchova appeared to keep control for most of the match.
That control is likely to be harder to find against Osaka in the final. Osaka has repeatedly said how much she enjoys playing in the heat that has plagued Bad Homburg throughout the week. The conditions should still be warm Saturday. though the final was moved to the morning after the worst of the heat.
“I think everyone knows I love the heat,” Osaka said. “I feel like the hotter it gets, the more it is to my advantage. But it’s not conditioning or anything. I just think I’m used to it.”
In the championship match, Osaka is seeking her first title in five years, while Muchova is aiming for her second of the season after winning the WTA 1000 event in Doha earlier this year. For both players, this final is also about a first on grass.
May the best woman win.
Naomi Osaka Karolina Muchova Wang Xinyu Elena-Gabriela Ruse Bad Homburg WTA grass court final Driven by Mercedes-Benz heat delay first grass-court title