Swiatek starts grass-court season with win over Azarenka at Bad Homburg

Iga Swiatek of Poland serves as she competes against Victoria Azarenka
Iga Swiatek of Poland serves as she competes against Victoria AzarenkaDean Mouhtaropoulos / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / Getty Images via AFP

Iga Swiatek kicked off her preparations for Wimbledon with a straight-sets victory over Victoria Azarenka in Bad Homburg on Tuesday.

The five-time Grand Slam champion eased to a 6-4, 6-4 success over fellow former world number one to reach the quarter-finals.

Swiatek, whose three-year French Open reign was ended in the semi-finals by Aryna Sabalenka earlier this month, will next face either Maria Sakkari or Ekaterina Alexandrova.

The 24-year-old has never reached the final of a grass-court tournament before.

Her best performance at Wimbledon, which starts on Monday, was a run to the 2023 quarter-finals.

Another former world number one was in action later in the day as Japan's Naomi Osaka fell in straight sets to fifth seed Emma Navarro.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka, now ranked 56th in the world after returning from maternity leave last year, went down 6-4, 6-4 against her American opponent.

Navarro advanced to play her compatriot, the top seed Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.

World number three Pegula dispatched 78th-ranked Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-3 in just over 65 minutes.

Last year's Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini of Italy booked her spot in the last eight with a battling 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (8-6) win over Canadian 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.

The second seed will next face Ukrainian Elina Svitolina or Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia.