Paula Badosa shocked Australian Open favourite Coco Gauff to reach her first grand slam semi-final. (More Tennis News)
Badosa, once ranked as high as second in the world by the WTA, has had a long road to recovery from a 𒆙career-threatening back injury.
Yet the 27-year-old put those troubles behind her with a 7-5 6-4 de📖feat of third seed Gauff at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.
Badosa almost broke Gauff in the third game, but squandered two break points. However, the Spaniard did get the jump on the 2023 US Open champion to take a 6-5💝 lead, and she duly served out the set.
She kept up that momentum at the start of the second set, and although Gauff clawed b๊ack four break points, Badosa eventually clinched the game at the fifth time of asking.
Badosa lost her 🐬composure on serve but immediately hit back, and an🦩other break had her serving for the match at 5-2 up.
🃏Yet Gauff responded with some clutch tennis, pulling to within a game of Bado♚sa and threatening an almighty comeback.
Badosa, though, regained her comp🐻osure, and after a thumping ace teed up match point, a sizzling forehand winner left Gauff with no chance.
Data Debrief: Badosa breaks her duck
Badosa was featuring in ꦕher third major quarter-final, after runs to the last eight at Roland Garros in 2021 and last year's US Open.
Yet she finally got over the line to set up a clasꦉh with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or reigning Austral🔯ian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka.
In th⭕e🃏 process, Badosa became only the fourth Spanish woman in the Open Era to reach a grand slam semi-final, after Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Conchita Martinez and Garbine Muguruza.
This victory was also her first at a major against an opponent ranked in the top 10. She had prev👍iously lost to Kiki Bertens, Petra Kvitova and Sabalenka.
