‘Thought I was going to die’, says Badosa after US Open win
NEW YORK: Paula Badosa reached the US Open quarter-finals for the first time on Sunday by conquering Wang Yafan as well as New York’s suffocating humidity.
The 26th-seeded Spaniard came through 6-1, 6-2 for her best Grand Slam result since she considered quitting the due to a serious back injury.
Despite the one-sided scoreline, the first two games on Sunday took 17 minutes to complete while Badosa saved all eight break points she faced.
“It was so humid I thought I was going to die,” said the 26-year-old New York-born player of the humidity which hit 85% at noon. “I knew she was tough but I’m tougher.”
Badosa is the first Spanish woman to make the quarter-finals since Carla Suarez Navarro in 2018 while it has been 28 years since a Spaniard last reached semi-finals. That honour fell to Conchita Martinez in 1996.
On Saturday, Jannik Sinner avoided the fate of his top rivals, reaching the fourth round of the US Open while fellow top seed Iga Swiatek also advanced with a comfortable victory.
With defending champion Novak Djokovic forced out by a shock loss to Alexei Popyrin in the third round on Friday and another title contender, Carlos Alcaraz, sent crashing by Botic van de Zandschulp in round two a day earlier, all eyes were on Sinner.
The Italian thumped Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 to underline his credentials as the outright favourite at the year’s final major.
Up next for the Australian Open champion is Tommy Paul who overcame Canadian Gabriel Diallo 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(3). Paul’s compatriot Ashlyn Krueger fell 6-1, 6-1 to Liudmila Samsonova.
French Open champion Swiatek later swatted aside Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-2 with a near-flawless performance after a chat with 23-times major winner Serena Williams, who returned to the US Open as a fan, after retiring in 2022.
Australian 10th seed Alex de Minaur outlast Briton Dan Evans 6-3, 6-7(4-7), 6-0, 6-0 while Jack Draper beat Van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Caroline Wozniacki eased past Jessika Ponchet 6-3, 6-2 and Daniil Medvedev breezed past Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2024
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