Paula Badosa, who was on the verge of retiring from tennis in 2024, defeated Gauff in straight sets to advance to her first Grand Slam semi-final.
‘Emotional’ Paula Badosa dashes world number three Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first Australian Open title with a stunning 7-5, 6-4 victory in the quarter-finals in Melbourne .
Badosa reached a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time in her career on Tuesday in a match that lasted one hour and 43 minutes. She is the first Spanish woman to do so since Garbine Muguruza in Melbourne in 2020.
“I’m a little emotional,” Badosa said. She will face either her close friend and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a spot in the final.
“I’m a very emotional person. I wanted to play my best game and I think I did.
“I’m very proud of my level today.”
It caps a remarkable return to tennis for the No. 11 seed, who was ranked outside the top 100 a year ago due to a back stress fracture.
“So a year ago I was here with the feeling of not knowing if I had to retire from this sport, and now I’m here playing with the best players in the world,” Badosa said. said.
Third-seeded Gauff was unbeaten in nine matches this season, but after dropping the first set in 2025, she bounced back to defeat Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic in the last 16.
Badosa started aggressively, putting pressure on Gauff and forcing her to serve early in the first set.
The American was uncharacteristically unable to create a break point in the first set and made a series of unforced errors that scorched the game.
Although she is far from her offensive best, Gauff said she feels more positive than she did after losing in the fourth round to compatriot Emma Navarro at the U.S. Open.
“Even though we lost today, I feel like I’m on an upward trajectory,” Gauff told reporters after the game.
“I know what I have to work on.
“Obviously I’m disappointed, but not completely devastated.”
Meanwhile, in the men’s race, second-seeded Alexander Zverev defeated Tommy Paul 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-0), 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the final four. Ta.
Although Zverev received a warning in the quarterfinals for using abusive language after becoming concerned about a bird’s feathers, he is one of the favorites to win.
The German was forced into a break in the second set when Paul saved two break points. With the match in the balance, referee Nacho Forcader, who saw a white feather fall in Zverev’s line of sight as the German player was taking his backswing, called a let and ordered a replay of the point. commanded.
“What? A feather? There are millions of them on the court,” Zverev said as he approached the referee, holding up a feather.
Zverev grabbed the net to pause briefly before getting back to work, but Paul quickly held serve.
The world number two will face the winner of a mouth-watering quarter-final between 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz.
