Danish tennis player Clara Tauson made a statement at the Bad Homburg Open on Monday in Bad Homburg, Germany, taking down seventh-seeded Diana Shnaider of Russia in what turned out to be the most notable upset of the first round.
Ranked 25th in the world, Tauson wrapped up the victory in just one hour and 45 minutes, winning 6-4, 6-4. She converted four of her 10 break point opportunities and fired six aces compared to Shnaider’s two. The win was especially meaningful for Tauson, as it snapped a seven-match losing streak — her previous win dating back to March at the BNP Paribas Open.
For Shnaider, who claimed the Bad Homburg title back in 2024, it marked a second consecutive first-round loss on grass. She had previously been eliminated from the Berlin Tennis Open by Nikola Bartunkova of the Czech Republic.
Elsewhere in the draw, an ankle injury forced Iva Jovic to withdraw from her scheduled first-round match against China’s Xinyu Wang. Mexico’s Renata Zarazua stepped in as a replacement, but Wang dominated the match, winning 6-1, 6-2.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka, seeded sixth and a four-time Grand Slam champion, completed a rain-delayed match against Poland’s Magdalena Frech, rolling to a 6-4, 6-1 victory. Osaka was particularly strong on her second serve, winning 60 percent of those points — 21 of 35 — compared to just 21.4 percent for Frech, who converted only 6 of 28.
Also advancing to the second round on Monday were Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, China’s Qinwen Zheng, Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, and Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
At the Lexus Eastbourne Open, held at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic caused a stir by defeating eighth-seeded Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 in a match that stretched two hours and 45 minutes — even though Tomljanovic needed just 36 minutes to claim the opening set.
Tomljanovic held a commanding edge on her first-serve points, winning 72.1 percent — 44 of 61 — while Cocciaretto won just 58.5 percent of hers, converting 31 of 53.
Colombia’s Emiliana Arango, ranked No. 101, stepped into the draw as a late replacement after Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic withdrew due to injury. Arango made the most of the opportunity, defeating Australia’s Maya Joint 7-6 (2), 6-4.
Other first-round winners at Eastbourne included Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, the third seed; seventh seed McCartney Kessler; Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina; the Czech Republic’s Tereza Valentova; and Croatia’s Petra Marcinko.
