Paula Badosa is coming back to the top. The former WTA number 2, who currently occupies the 19th position in the ranking – she will be at least 15th next week – after the title in Washington at the beginning of August has also shown fantastic condition at the China Open in Beijing.
The 26-year-old beat the Chinese Shuai Zhang, earning her third semifinal in the last five tournaments played and, in the press conference, she spoke about her magic moment, also spending some nice words for her countryman Carlos Alcaraz.
“I started very strong, with very clear ideas and playing very aggressively. Everything was going well for me. In the second set I think she raised her level. She played more aggressively and went to the net more. In the end it was a battle that could have gone either way,” she said.
Badosa then praised Carlitos, who won his 4th title of the season in Beijing.
“I look up to Carlos, he’s great on and off the court. He’s an incredible person and player. Yesterday I watched the whole match against Sinner, rooting for him. He makes the whole country proud, I’m a big fan of his,” she said.
In short, the nightmare is behind us. Paula is back. It seems like a lifetime has passed since the Spanish tennis player revealed that, according to doctors, she was at risk of retiring from the world of tennis. The injuries of 2023, the missed season, the drop in the ranking to 140th position. A possible title in Beijing would bring the Spaniard back into the top 10 for the first time since 2022. In the semifinals Badosa will face Coco Gauff.
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