Osaka Defeats Mertens at Bad Homburg Open, Advances to Quarterfinals

Naomi Osaka defeated Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-3 at the 2026 Bad Homburg Open, advancing to the quarterfinals of the grass court tournament. The sixth-seeded Osaka was in control throughout, while Mertens struggled to find her serve. By 3-1 in the second set, Mertens had already committed five double faults—a heavy toll on grass.

Mertens had come to Bad Homburg with confidence after beating Alexandra Eala in straight sets in her first match. That early promise evaporated against Osaka’s sharp groundstrokes and smart positioning. The identical 6-3 scorelines in both sets made clear who was running the show.

Osaka has sat out several 2026 tournaments due to a minor injury, so this win carries extra weight as the grass court swing builds toward Wimbledon, which kicks off Monday, June 29, 2026. Her best Wimbledon result so far is three third-round appearances.

Next up is Thursday’s quarterfinal against either Ekaterina Alexandrova or Mirra Andreeva. Andreeva, seeded second at Bad Homburg, looms as the bracket’s toughest remaining opponent.