Iga Swiatek began her Wimbledon preparations with a straight-sets triumph against Victoria Azarenka in Bad Homburg on Tuesday.
The five-time Grand Slam titleholder comfortably won 6-4, 6-4 over the former world number one, moving on to the quarter-finals.
Swiatek, whose three-year reign at the French Open was cut short by Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals earlier this month, will face either Maria Sakkari or Ekaterina Alexandrova next. She has yet to reach a final in a grass-court competition.
Her best showing at Wimbledon, which is set to begin on Monday, was making it to the quarter-finals in 2023.
Another former world number one competed later in the day, as Japan’s Naomi Osaka lost in straight sets to fifth seed Emma Navarro.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, now ranked 56th after her return from maternity leave last year, was defeated 6-4, 6-4 by her American rival. Navarro moved on to face her fellow American, top seed Jessica Pegula, in the quarter-finals.
World number three Pegula easily overcame 78th-ranked Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-3 in just over 65 minutes.
Last year’s Wimbledon runner-up, Jasmine Paolini, secured her place in the last eight with a tough 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (8-6) victory against Canadian Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist.
The second seed will next compete against Ukrainian Elina Svitolina or Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia.
