Karolina Muchova from the Czech Republic won the title at the Wimbledon dress rehearsal in Bad Homburg. The 29-year-old benefited from Japan’s Naomi Osaka’s submission in the final in front of Germany’s former tennis star Angelique Kerber. The four-time Grand Slam tournament winner had to retire after 46 minutes when the score was 6:1, 1:0 for Muchova due to foot problems.
The spectators in the Hessian spa town saw a one-sided final from the start, which Muchova dominated at will. With the score at 0:3 in the first set, Osaka took a break from injury to receive treatment on her right foot.
The 28-year-old was initially able to continue. After the first game in the second round, Osaka gave up – also in order not to risk her start in the grass classic in Wimbledon, which begins on Monday.
Kerber: “That’s sport”
“It’s a shame that Naomi gave up because we were all really looking forward to the final. But that’s sport. And you have to accept that,” said tournament sports director Angelique Kerber. A week ago she celebrated her farewell from the tennis court in a show match against her friend Ana Ivanovic from Serbia.
By winning the tournament, Muchova not only receives more than 161,000 euros, but also 500 world ranking points. The 2023 French Open finalist also gained confidence for Wimbledon with her third career title on the WTA Tour. Because of the heat wave, the final in Bad Homburg on Saturday was brought forward by two and a half hours.