WATCH: Iga Swiatek In Tears After Losing First Final In Over A Year In Bad Homburg

Iga Swiatek had a week to be proud of at the 2025 Bad Homburg Open, but falling at the final hurdle against Jessica Pegula was painful.

Expectations were not high for Swiatek before the tournament in Bad Homburg. She had not reached a final in over 12 months since winning the 2024 Roland Garros title, and grass has been the weakest surface of her career.

That background means Swiatek deserves considerable credit for what she achieved at the German tournament. The five-time Grand Slam champion defeated Victoria Azarenka, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and last year's Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini to reach the final.

The battle with Pegula was closer than the final 6-4, 7-5 score suggests. Serve dominated throughout most of the contest, but the American was clinical in the only games of the match where she had break points.

Swatek was the aggressor in the rallies and struck more winners than Pegula. Unfortunately for the Pole, she also made several more unforced errors than her opponent, which proved costly.

Immediately after the final ended, Swiatek showed class at the net. She hugged Pegula and congratulated her on winning a second grass court title, backing up her triumph at the 2024 Berlin Open after saving five championship points against Anna Kalinskaya.

When Swiatek returned to her seat, the emotions from missing out on a maiden grass court title and first title in over a year became visible when she cried, a moment that can be watched in the video below.

This is not the first time Swiatek has cried after matches, and they have not always been after defeats. The four-time Roland Garros champion sometimes lets out tears after coming through important or grueling battles.

Players should never be criticized for crying or not hiding how they are feeling on the court. Since emerging on the WTA Tour, Swiatek has brought an authenticity that many fans worldwide relate to.

Hopefully, Swiatek realizes that reaching a first grass court final is a terrific achievement. The current WTA world No. 8 has spoken openly in the past about not being comfortable on grass and learning how to play on it.

She and Wim Fissette have worked hard together since Roland Garros, and the results are visible. Although Swiatek will undoubtedly look to improve further in adding variety, she sliced, an important shot on grass, more in Bad Homburg than usual.

Swiatek undoubtedly enjoyed her opening-round win against Victoria Azarenka after the Belarusian accused her of deliberately slowing play during challenging moments. The 22-time WTA titlist responded with a great serve and shouted pointedly at Azarenka after the next point.

Bookies do not consider Pegula one of the top favorites for the Wimbledon title like Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, but her chances should not be ruled out. The 31-year-old showed what she can do on the surface in Bad Homburg and last year in Berlin.

Many think Pegula's best chance of winning a maiden Grand Slam is at the US Open. But Sabalenka's hard-court dominance in recent years and how open the Wimbledon draw has been in the last few years on the women's side mean Pegula may see an opportunity at SW19.