By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Paula Badosa scored one of the most impressive wins in her professional tennis career after cruising past world no. 3 ranked female ace Coco Gauff in straight sets- 7.5, 6.4- to qualify in her first-ever Grand Slam semifinals in the ongoing Australian Open on January 21, 2025, at the Rod Laver Arena in Australia.
Fresh off a one-sided beating over Olga Danilovic that set up her quarterfinal showdown against the higher-ranked Gauff, the Spanish star didn’t waste any time in tearing a page from her playbook in the fourth round when she forced the American star in several long rally exchanges.
However, Badosa didn’t drag Gauff into a mano-a-mano power baseline trade but she fired looping top-spin forehands that were always kissing the line on the right side of the court.
As a result of the high spin rate, Gauff failed to position her body well for a long forehand drive, and opted to return a short ground stroke that landed several times in the no-man’s land.
Without everyone predicting, that’s what Badosa wanted.
By luring Gauff’s baseline hits into the middle of the court, it was easier for the Spanish stalwart to move into the net area, finishing most of their exchanges with either an overhead smash or an easy drop ball.
That sequence happened at will in the first set that allowed Badosa to gain her footing early in the game before Gauff adjusted at the start of the second set.
As part of her adjustment, all return balls that Badosa fired were answered with a flat forehand groundstroke that neutralized any top-spin hits in the baseline.
Gauff stole some momentum and piled up down-the-line points that kept her in the match but Badosa gave her all in the final four game sets, bullying the American with big-time net winners that saved her from nearly dropping her service possessions.
Badosa capped off her quarterfinal win with a total of four service break points, 78 total points won. However, it was in the receiving points department that the semifinalist dominated Gauff, 38-23.