Badosa, in the wake of Arantxa, Conchita, Mariajo and Garbiñe

Paula Badosa has this Sunday (22:00, Teledeporte) the opportunity to achieve the greatest success of her fledgling career and a very important milestone for the tennis of the Navy. At 23, the New York-born Catalan can lift the WTA 1,000 trophy, that of Indian Wells, if she manages to beat the two-time tournament champion and former world number one, Victoria Azarenka. In that case, it will be the fifth Spanish to enter the list of winners in the category after Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (6), Conchita Martínez (9), María José Martínez (1) and Garbiñe Muguruza (3). And the first to be proclaimed champion in the California desert.

Badosa has never faced Azarenka, a 32-year-old Belarusian veteran who twice won the Australian Open (2012 and 2013) and who is now behind Paula in the ranking, in 32nd place. “He is someone who has been in this situation many times. He has a lot of experience, so it will be a difficult match. I’m playing well, with confidence, I’ll try to do my best and we’ll see how it goes “, says the tennis player who coaches Jorge García and which is accompanied by her boyfriend, the actor and model Juan Betancourt. What Badosa does know is to beat top rivals. This season, which is fantastic for her, she has beaten Barty (number one), Sabalenka (3), twice Krejcikova (5), Swiatek (8), twice Bencic (12), Rybakina (19) …

“I know how she is playing, she is very intense and very tough on the court, quite a competitor. He always fights to the last ball, so it will be difficult. I like these kinds of games, even though I never played them in a final, so I can’t wait any longer to play it. I always dreamed of being in a final like this, “explains Paula about an opponent who has the merit of having returned to the elite above thirty and after being a mother. In fact, she dedicated the triumph against Latvian Ostapenko in the semifinals to her son, Leo.

The top-10 and the WTA Finals, within reach

Another consequence that the victory in the final of the American event would have is that Badosa would stay on the edge of the top-10, in position 11 of the classification, and would become eighth in the race for the ATP Finals, which would momentarily give her a place for the Masters championship to be held in Guadalajara (Mexico) from November 10 to 17.

Results, table and calendar.