WTA tournament in Bad Homburg: Problem-free start for Kerber in Bad Homburg | hessenschau.de

Angelique Kerber fulfilled her mandatory task at the start of the home tournament in Bad Homburg without any problems. Earlier in the day, Laura Siegemund was only able to avert an embarrassing first-round defeat at the Wimbledon dress rehearsal with a lot of effort.

With a 6: 1, 6: 1 success in just 50 minutes, Kerber outclassed Russian qualifier Jekaterina Jaschina on Monday and made it to the round of 16. There, the number 28 in the world will meet Yashina’s compatriot Anna Blinkowa on Wednesday.

“In terms of sport, I definitely have a little more plans,” said Kerber after her match in front of around 600 spectators. “I will give everything to get here as far as possible, hopefully to the end, and then go to Wimbledon full of confidence.” The clearly inferior world rankings-293. But Jaschina was not yet a standard of what Kerber can be expected to do after her first-round bankruptcies at the Australian Open and the French Open next week in Wimbledon.

“I’m looking forward to everything that is to come”

The left-hander is preparing for the third Grand Slam tournament of the season with two tournaments in a row. In Berlin, the second round was over for her last week. At the premiere in Bad Homburg, the 33-year-old also has tasks outside of the Center Court as a tournament ambassador. “It’s a very special tournament for me. I’m looking forward to everything that is to come,” said the three-time Grand Slam tournament winner.

The 33-year-old competed against the world rankings 362 at the WTA tournament in the Hessian health resort. Riya Bhatia from India, who had replaced the former US Open winner Sloane Stephens (USA / foot injury) at short notice, after a weak start with 2: 6, 7: 6 (7: 2), 6: 1 and reached the round of 16. There it comes to a German duel with Tamara Korpatsch (Hamburg).

Siegemund is having a hard time

In the first round, she was definitely much easier than her Swabian Fed Cup colleague Laura Siegemund. The German number two turned a threatening disappointment with the 2: 6, 7: 6 (7: 2), 6: 1 against the world rankings-362. Riya Bhatia from India still starting. It was only after she had dominated the tie-break in the second set that Siegemund played more confidently against the blatant outsider.

Siegemund only found out about half an hour before her first match of the grass season that she would not be playing against the injured former US Open winner Sloane Stephens from the USA. “It’s always difficult when you suddenly have an opponent you weren’t prepared for,” said Siegemund. “You have to be able to deal with that. My preparation was mixed, so I was happy that I had a little time to get in. It wasn’t my best tennis, but sometimes it’s enough to just get through.”

Last acid test for Wimbledon

Andrea Petkovic (Darmstadt) had already won her first round match on Sunday. Eliminated the qualifier Anna Zaja (Stuttgart) after a 0: 6, 4: 6 defeat against the American Ann Li.

The tournament in Bad Homburg’s Kurpark is the last endurance test for the players before the grass highlight in Wimbledon (from June 28th). The event was supposed to premiere at a historic site last year, but had to be canceled due to the corona pandemic. The first tennis club on the European mainland was founded in Bad Homburg in 1876.

Broadcast: hr-fernsehen, hessenschau, 21.6.21, 7.30 p.m.