Lucky loser Jule Niemeier recently stunned top-seeded Maria Sakkari (9) to make it to the next round of the 2024 Bad Homburg Open. She will now face the former world number 2, Paula Badosa, in the R16. Badosa has struggled with injuries and a lack of consistency over the past few months. Her best results this year have been reaching the R16 thrice. However, in her previous match, the 26-year-old Spaniard looked BETTER in her comprehensive victory over the Dutch Arantxa Rus.

On the other hand, Jule Niemeier has already featured in two finals and one SF in ITF events. She has also made it to the semis at the WTA 250K Parma, IT. She has been in decent form this year, but can she deliver on the bigger stages of the game?

Paula Badosa vs Jule Niemeier: Preview

Badosa registered her first win on the grass courts this season by defeating Arantxa Rus by 6-4, 6-1 in her previous match. The Spaniard hit seven aces and committed just four double faults. She won 84% of her first serve and 56% of her second serve. Badosa converted four out of her six breakpoints while giving away none.

So far this year, Paula Badosa has hit 81 aces and has committed 111 double faults. She has won 68.7% of her service games and 32.1% of her return games this year. How well has her German opponent performed so far this year?

Jule Niemeier marked her fourth career win over a Top 10 player by defeating Maria Sakkari in her previous match. Interestingly, three out of those four victories have come on the grass courts. So, she’s certainly the player to watch out for on this surface. Against Sakkari, Niemeier hit six aces and committed three double faults. She won 65% of her first serve and 57% of her second serve. She converted four out of her eight breakpoints against Sakkari while giving the Greek 4 out of 9.

Niemeier has hit 34 aces this season and has committed around 61 double faults. She has won 62.4% of her service games and 32.6% of her return games this year. Have these two players met each other before on the Tour?

Badosa vs Niemeier: Head-to-Head

Currently, their H2H is at 0-0; they haven’t met each other before in their careers. However, it’s high time to see who will take the first step forward in this epic battle. Although Jule Niemeier (96) is placed above Paula Badosa (113) in the women’s singles ranking, the Spaniard can disrupt any opponent on her given day. She is a proven campaigner! Similarly, Niemeier is a mighty challenger. She has reached the QF of Wimbledon in 2022, with her grass court prowess on full display, but is it enough to keep her ahead of the Spaniard?

Prediction: Badosa to win in three sets

Be ready for an exciting contest! Both of these players will be keen to gain winning momentum ahead of the mega events that are lining up in the next couple of months. Paula Badosa is an aggressive baseliner whose game is mostly centered around her powerful serves and equally venomous groundstrokes. She even has a powerful forehand, but her biggest weapon is her strong two-handed backhand. Badosa also has an effective drop shot in her armory. So, there are a lot of weapons to counter her opponents; what about the Germans?

Jule Niemeier is a big server and can also put some real power behind her groundstrokes. She is also seen engaging in impressive net plays during her matches. She has a win-loss record of 5-6 this season compared to 12-11 of Paula Badosa. The Spaniard’s experience of playing multiple big matches will be the real deciding factor in this match as she is set to claim victory!