Iga Świątek loses first grass match, a failed final test before Wimbledon

World No. 1 Iga Świątek suffered a surprising early exit from the WTA 500 tournament in Bad Homburg, falling 5-7, 6-2, 3-6 to American Emma Navarro. This loss marks her final grass-court match before Wimbledon, where she is the defending champion.

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This was the last test for the Pole before Wimbledon, which starts on Monday.

Świątek, who had positive memories of Bad Homburg after reaching the final last year, entered the tournament as a top contender. She was the top seed after Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina withdrew due to health reasons. Despite having won two of their previous three encounters, Świątek faced early difficulties, losing the first three games of the match. Although she managed to recover and level the score, persistent unforced errors led to her losing the first set 5-7.

The second set saw a turnaround as Świątek found her rhythm, improving her serve and reducing errors to win 6-2. However, this momentum did not carry into the third set, where she again had to chase the score. Ultimately, she lost the set 3-6, joining several other top players who were eliminated early from the tournament.

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She had problems with entering the match properly.

The defeat leaves Świątek with much to consider ahead of Wimbledon. Poland will be represented by at least six players in the tournament, including Świątek, Maja Chwalińska, Magda Linette, Magdalena Fręch, Hubert Hurkacz, and Kamil Majchrzak.

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It seemed that Iga would shift into a higher gear and go for the win, but in the third set she had to chase the score again.