MADRID, 1 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa beat Chinese Yafan Wang 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open, the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, which is being played on hard courts in Flushing Meadows (New York).
Back at Louis Armstrong Stadium, Badosa won after one hour and 22 minutes of play. Although the Catalan started off weakly with her serve and found herself 15-40 down right from the start, she saved those two break chances against her and then two more, which paradoxically spurred her on.
This was made clear in the next game, where she broke her opponent’s serve, and also in the third game, where Wang was also unable to convert another break point. Once all these obstacles were overcome, Badosa was 3-0 up and also extended her advantage with another early break that put the opening set on a plate for her.
During the next set, the dynamic changed and Badosa no longer had such an easy time. In fact, there were no break points until the fifth game. However, it was only one at 40-1 and the Catalan took full advantage of it. With that 3-2 in her favour, and despite facing a 30-40 in the next game, the tennis player born in Manhattan was still on a roll.
Powerful drives and opening angles gave Badosa a bigger lead with another break (5-2); and, without delay, she did not hesitate with her subsequent service turn. She saved two more break points that Wang had and, with a forehand crosscourt shot, the Spaniard sealed her victory and access to the quarterfinals; there she will play against an American, either Emma Navarro or ‘Coco’ Gauff.