Tennis: Swiatek kicks off grass court season with a win

Poland's Iga Swiatek , ranked eighth in the women's rankings, began her preparations for Wimbledon with a straight-set victory over Belarus' Victoria Azarenka on Tuesday at the WTA 500 grass-court tournament in Bad Homburg, Germany .

A five-time Grand Slam winner, Swiatek, a first-round bye, defeated the former world number one 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals.

The Pole, whose three-year reign at Roland Garros ended in the semi-finals against Aryna Sabalenka earlier this month, will face either Greek Maria Sakkari or Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the next round.

Swiatek, 24, has never reached the final of a grass-court tournament. Her best performance at Wimbledon, which begins Monday, was the quarterfinals in 2023.

Here are some of the results from Tuesday's WTA 500 in Bad Homburg:

- First round:

Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) defeated Ashlyn Krueger (USA) 6-1, 6-4

- Second round:

Jessica Pegula (USA/N.1) defeats Katerina Siniaková (CZE) 6-2, 6-3

Iga Swiatek (POL/N.4) defeats Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 6-4, 6-4

Jasmine Paolini (ITA/N.2) to Leylah Fernandez (CAN) 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (8/6)

Controversy on social media

Last month, in a lengthy social media post , Swiatek addressed the online criticism she received after nearly hitting a ball boy while angrily hitting a ball between points.

"It's true — I expressed frustration in a way I'm not proud of . My intention was never to point the ball at anyone, but simply to release my frustration by bouncing it on the ground," she said.

" I immediately apologized to the ball boy, we made eye contact and nodded to each other as I expressed my regret," Swiatek wrote.

"I've seen a lot of talk recently about changes in my behavior and emotions on the court," Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, posted on Instagram a day before the start of the Miami Open, where she is the second seed.

"Although I don't feel comfortable explaining myself, it's time for me to share my perspective to stop the speculation and unfounded theories," the prominent tennis player said.

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