Paula Badosa stuns third-seeded Coco Gauff in the Australian Open quarter-final

The quarter-final of a Grand Slam tournament is possibly the most untimely event for a player to end their winning streak at. The least desirable outcome, however, caught up with the third-seeded WTA ace, Coco Gauff, when she met Paula Badosa in the Australian Open quarter-final. Perched on a 13-match winning streak, which included title victories at the WTA Finals and the United Cup, Gauff was poised as the top contender to win the Grand Slam in Melbourne. Matching her ranking in the WTA standings, Gauff played commendably well in the initial rounds of the Australian Open, where she cruised into the fourth round without dropping a set. However, her nearly perfect run came to an unceremonious end at the hands of Paula Badosa, who was playing her first quarter-final at the Australian Open.

Australian Open: Paula Badosa enters the semi-final of a Grand Slam for the first-time as Coco Gauff sinks in the quarter-final

Overcoming a career-threatening injury and ranking among the Top 15 in the WTA standings, Spain's Paula Badosa was named the "Comeback Player of the Year" last season. The Spaniard fitted seamlessly into the title when she tackled the in-form Coco Gauff at the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday. On her way to the first Australian Open quarter-final, Badosa had accumulated dominating victories over the likes of Talia Gibson and Olga Danilovic. In the final eight contest, Badosa capitalized on the error-prone play of Coco Gauff, which stood in stark contrast to what the American had displayed previously in the tournament when she faced Sofia Kenin, Jodie Anna Burrage, and Belinda Bencic.

While Badosa showcased an impressive performance at the Rod Laver Arena, the shift in the match was more of Gauff's doing. The American fumbled many chances, frustratingly leaking double faults and racking up as many as 41 unforced errors. Badosa kept her errors in check, amounting to only 23, a modest margin when compared to Gauff's tally. In the game that saw Gauff miss out on entering the semi-final of a Grand Slam for the fifth time, Badosa converted four of the ten break opportunities presented to her by the third seed's erratic play. Eventually, the Spaniard reached the last four stage by firing two aces and a forehand winner against Gauff.

Prior to their meeting at the Rod Laver Arena, the head-to-head record of Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff stood at level with both of them having won 3 matches each. However, Gauff had emerged victorious in the last two face-offs, in Rome and Beijing last season. Meanwhile, the Spaniard turned her fortune around by winning her first Grand Slam quarter-final. Moreover, the victory also marked the first time Badosa had beaten a Top 10 seed at a Grand Slam. Now, Badosa will face either defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the Australian Open semi-final, scheduled for Thursday, 23 January.

Entering the semi-final of a Grand Slam major for the first time in her WTA career, the 27-year-old knew what it meant. Keeping her emotions in check, Badosa reflected on the victory as she explained the challenge of overcoming someone like Coco Gauff. Moreover, the Spaniard noted how her back injury had pushed her close to retirement last season. Emerging from the shadows of an early exit, Badosa has scripted a significant turnaround in her career.

"Today I came in, and I wanted to play my best game, and I think I did it," Badosa said following her victory. "Coco, at the beginning, she was playing insane tennis, but I'm super proud of the level I gave today. A year ago, I was here with my back [injury] that I didn't know if I had to retire from this sport, and now I'm here, playing the best in the world. I won today, I'm in the semifinals, and I never would think that a year later, I would be here," she added.

Lined up next at the Australian Open is the quarter-final clash between defending champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The final two contests in the last-eight stage feature second seed Iga Swiatek against Emma Navarro and Madison Keys against Elina Svitolina. On the ATP side of the Grand Slam tournament, second seed Alexander Zverev has advanced to the semi-finals with a victory over Tommy Paul. Up next is the most-awaited clash between top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.