Imperial Osaka!

Naomi Osaka confirmed her excellent week by dominating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals, continuing her rise in form on grass after two commanding wins against Frech and Mertens. The Japanese player has shown a sharp serve throughout the tournament and a flat hitting quality that suits the fast surface in Bad Homburg perfectly. Alexandrova, who came through the other half of the draw after beating Mirra Andreeva, couldn't find the resources to contain an Osaka who is playing her best tennis of the grass season.

Xinyu Wang, right-handed, 24 years old, ranked 34th in the world, is in the process of confirming that German grass suits her particularly well. A finalist in Berlin last year as a qualifier, she started this tournament with 15 aces against Zarazua in 63 minutes, followed up with a solid 6-3 6-4 win over Fernandez, and benefited from a walkover from Svitolina in the quarterfinals. Three matches in two played, physically fresh, and a serve operating at an elite level on this surface: at 3.59 against an Osaka who has already gone through three matches since Monday, the Chinese player clearly deserves more respect than the market is giving her.