Spanish Player Paula Badosa Gibert popularly known as Paula Badosa claimed her third WTA singles title. She triumphed over Barbora Krejcikova in a down-to-the-wire thriller. The event happened in Sydney on Saturday.
Paula Badosa is finding Australia to be a lot more appealing. On Saturday, the world No. 9 came back from a second-set deficit to defeat French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-4) in two hours and 24 minutes at Ken Rosewall Arena.
Last year’s Australian experience was marred by disappointment, with the 24-year-old going into rigorous quarantine with coronavirus before the season-opening slam.
Murray, a five-time Australian Open finalist, received a wild-card entry for the Sydney tournament and advanced to the semifinals by defeating Viktor Durasovic and Nikoloz Basilashvili, then Reilly Opelka.
This raises the expectations after recurring hip injuries limited him to only playing one of the previous four Australian Opens. Murray won’t have much time to rest before facing Basilashvili in the Australian Open’s first round.
After a breakout year in 2021, in which Badosa won two trophies in two finals, reached her first grand slam quarter-final, and surged into the top 10, Badosa delivered once more.
Badosa claimed she had worked hard on her hardcourt game after earning a reputation as a clay-court slugger and was reaping the benefits.
About the Cut Throat Battle
In the first set, she broke Czech world No. 4 Krejcikova three times, returning one break but eventually winning in 34 minutes.
At 4-4 in the second set, Badosa appeared to be on her way to a straight-set victory, but a sloppy service game gave the advantage to her opponent, who then clinched the deal with the ball in hand.
The third set was an armed battle, with both players remaining strong on serve after trading early breaks.
Krejcikova, who had saved seven set points to beat Anett Kontaveit in the semi-final, looked up to the challenge and battled blow for blow with Badosa late in the match.
But Badosa took the lead in the tiebreaker after a string of missed service points, with Krejcikova preserving one match chance before conceding the match on serve.
In the opening round of the Open, Badosa will face Australian No. 2 Ajla Tomljanovic, while Krejcikova will face German Andrea Petkovic.
More About Paula Badosa
Mireia Gibert and Josep Badosa raised Paula Badosa in Manhattan, New York. Her parents also worked in the fashion industry. They relocated to Barcelona when she was seven years old. She then began playing tennis at the Playa de Aro club.
Badosa is a tenacious baseliner who relies on her big serve and groundstrokes to win games. Badosa has stated that her serve is her favorite shot and that it is a big weapon.
Badosa won her maiden Grand Slam match at the Australian Open in early 2020, defeating qualifier Johanna Larsson in the first round.
She was then defeated by Petra Kvitová, the world’s No. 7 player. She reached the semifinals of the Istanbul Cup in September, losing to Eugenie Bouchard.