Paula Badosa gives in to the push of champion Sabalenka and says goodbye to her dream at the Australian Open
the dream of Paula Badosa You will have to continue waiting for at least a few more months. The Spanish tennis player, who longs to win a Grand Slam sometime in her career, fell in the semifinals of the Australian Open (6-4, 6-2) against Aryna Sabalenka despite signing a great match. (This is how we experienced Paula Badosa’s defeat against Aryna Sabalenka) The Spanish player had a more than worthy match. In fact, the start was unbeatable and the first to get a break in the first set was her, but little by little the Belarusian became more in tune and dragged Badosa to the gutter to leave her out of the tournament while she searches for her third win. After a very tight, intense and tight first round, Sabalenka put the turbo on the second and took advantage of the wave to resolve the crash on the fast track. Badosa’s dream ends, but he can celebrate this ‘rebirth’ that has taken him back to the top 10 in the ranking. A good start The first game was already a reflection of the dispute that was going to happen in the first set. Paula Badosa He saw firsthand that he was going to have to sweat every last drop – just as he expected – to be able to scratch something positive against Sabalenka. The first blows resulted in intense exchanges and a mixture of direct serves and double faults on the part of the Spaniard that led her, however, to take the lead. The start was sensational on the part of Badosa, who put pressure on the rest in the second game and managed to take advantage of the number 1’s unforced errors to make the first break. Paula Badosa celebrates a point in Australia against Sabalenka. REUTERS Just start, Badosa found himself 0-2 up in his first Grand Slam semi-final and with the feeling that he could take off and fly. However, playing against Sabalenka means that the match can completely turn upside down at any moment, and the Belarusian began to warm up little by little. Badosa had three balls to go 0-3 on the scoreboard, something that would have been a great coup, but there her rival began to show why she is the number 1 in the world. She forced the deuce, enjoyed her first break point and did not waste it to neutralize the Spanish woman’s previous break. Immediately afterwards, Sabalenka made it 2-2 and from there she put the accelerator in search of victory in the first set. Badosa began to suffer the rest. One, two, three… and even four break balls the Belarusian had to the rest. After ten minutes of an intense and endless game, the number 1 claimed the break to go 3-2, ahead for the first time in the match. Sabalenka executes a blow in the match against Paula Badosa. REUTERS That’s when everything started to go uphill for Paula Badosa. He did not disconnect from the game at any time.it is true, and he showed great mental strength to face the situation, but in tow he could do nothing to prevent the first set from falling to Sabalenka’s side 6-4. Sabalenka, intractable With the wind blowing in favor, it was impossible to stop Aryna Sabalenka. Paula Badosa started the second set on the right foot, winning the first game and trying to convince herself that she was not going to suffer the blow of the first set. However, reality exploded in his face. The world number 1 immediately showed that she moves like no one else in the Rod Laver Arena. There’s a reason she’s been winning there since 2023 without anyone being able to defeat her. He soon broke Badosa’s serve again, and did it a second time to leave practically everything seen for sentencing. Badosa and Sabalenka, great friends, embrace in a hug. REUTERS It was too much of a hurricane for Badosa, who no matter how hard he tried, he saw that he couldn’t stop Sabalenka’s blows. His double service faults also played tricks on him and everything led to the inevitable fatal outcome. Of course, even being two points away from being eliminated from the tournament, Badosa did not lose that smile that makes her so special. He accepted Sabalenka’s superiority, he said goodbye to his dream in Australia but above all he has to leave with his head held high and a reading that can only be positive. Paula Badosa is back.
