Bad Homburg (Germany), June 27 (IANS) Karolina Muchova captured the Bad Homburg Open title on Saturday after Naomi Osaka was forced to retire with a foot injury early in the second set, ending a final that had been firmly under the Czech’s control.

The 11th seed in the PIF WTA Rankings needed just 46 minutes to move within touching distance of the championship before Osaka, hampered by a foot problem that required treatment during the opening set, decided she could not continue. Muchova was ahead 6-1, 1-0 when the match came to a premature conclusion.

From the opening exchanges, Muchova dictated play with clean ball-striking and relentless pressure on Osaka’s serve. She surged into a 4-0 advantage after securing two early service breaks, leaving the four-time Grand Slam champion struggling to settle.

Although Osaka briefly halted the momentum by holding serve for the first time, Muchova quickly restored control. Another break allowed the Czech to wrap up the opening set 6-1 in commanding fashion.

Muchova then comfortably held serve to begin the second set before Osaka, who had already taken a medical timeout, opted against continuing.

The victory hands Muchova her first WTA singles title on grass, adding to a season that has already featured a WTA 1000 triumph in Doha. It is the third singles trophy of her career and evens her head-to-head record with Osaka at 3-3, while improving her finals record to three wins from nine appearances.

For Osaka, the search for a first WTA singles title since lifting the Australian Open trophy in 2021 goes on. The former world No. 1, who was chasing her maiden grass-court title, finished runner-up for the third consecutive time and later apologised to spectators during the trophy ceremony after her injury brought the final to an unfortunate end.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone who came to the match. I apologise for not being able to finish, but this atmosphere was incredible throughout the whole week, so thank you so much, and I hope you’re not too hot,” Osaka said during her on-court interview.

“And then also congratulations Karolina, you’re one of the coolest girls on tour, and it’s always really fun to play you, so congratulations for an incredible tournament, and I hope you have the best of luck in Wimbledon as well,” she added.

–IANS

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