Badosa expands to beat Sabalenka, third in the world

Paula Badosa does not seem to have accused the sudden turn that she gave to her career last week when she announced that she was breaking with her coach, Javier Martí, after 11 months of fruitful work. She did it after losing in Montreal against Canadian Marino, a defeat that she did not touch. And in Cincinnati, the Spaniard shows that she remains focused on continuing her rise on the circuit. On Monday she saved five match points to come back and beat the Croatian Petra Martic in three sets and This Wednesday, in a great match, he turned another adverse score (5-7, 6-2 and 7-6 (4) in 2:19) and against a rival of greater weight, Aryna Sabalenka.

Stable, aggressive and at the same time patient, Paula beat the world number three, a tennis player who has accumulated ten titles in the last three years and is the leader of the year in victories (38). It is her fourth victory of the course against a top, because she beat the leader of the ranking, Ashleigh Barty, in Charleston, and the eighth, Swiatek, a few days ago at the Tokyo Games, and the 11th, Belinda Bencic, in Madrid. “I worked hard since the beginning of this season and the success has come from an improvement in self-confidence,” he said, exulting., on the track. On Thursday she will face the Kazakh Elena Rybakina in the round of 16, who got rid of the Belgian Mertens (6-3 and 6-2).

Without a coach, at least declared (in Cincinnati she is accompanied by Juan Pablo Cañas, a Ferrer Academy player), but with the support from the stands of the Cuban actor and model Juan Betancourt, with whom he has started a relationship, Badosa saw a first set slip away in which he was in tow of the breaks of his rival. He countered them twice, but on the third, Sabalenka consolidated his lead and went ahead. With her natural aggressiveness, she seemed headed for fast-track triumph. But the Girona born in New York had not said her last word and made an impeccable second set. He increased his aggressiveness and, when he could, he lengthened the points until he found the error of Aryna, a temperamental opponent who plays with blows and who is not comfortable if he moves a lot. Thus he broke his powerful serve twice.

Suffering and brilliance

The auction remained and it was not easy. Badosa went all out in the third set and took advantage with a break right from the start. However, Sabalenka reacted with fury and posted a dangerous 3-1. It was Paula's turn to row against the current again and she found the counterbreak again to put the score on an equal footing. Crazy. I needed another turn of the screw and it came in full you to you of two runaway players, so similar that they even wore the same equipment. Double faults (12) weighed down the furious Minsk right-hander in important moments. Badosa defended himself bravely and found his opportunity with much suffering. In the tiebreaker, like the other day against Martic. The new number 29 in the world played it masterfully, brave, powerful and with nerves of steel. Sabalenka could only try to defend himself. The Navy has another tennis player who is exciting.

Results, table and schedules.