MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff had a tough day in her Australian Open quarterfinal, where she was eliminated by No. 11 seed Paula Badosa of Spain by a score of 7- 5, 6-4. The American player, ranked 3rd, saw her forehand and her serve betray her at the most crucial moment.
Before the match at Rod Laver Arena, Gauff had a perfect 9-0 record in 2025 and a 13-game winning streak, a performance that dates back to her victory at the WTA Finals last November. With adjustments made to her key moves to secure a second Grand Slam title at just 20, the 2023 US Open champion had dropped just one set in four matches at Melbourne Park this year.
“She is full of confidence. But I’m playing well too,” Badosa said before the match. “I’m ready to face him. »
And indeed, she was ready, Badosa reaching her first Grand Slam semi-final at the age of 27.
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“I’m a little emotional,” Badosa said, having previously lost her two major quarter-finals. “I wanted to give the best of myself. I think that’s what I did… I’m super proud of the level I showed today. »
Gauff struggled on court, recording 41 unforced errors, including six double faults — one of which sealed her fate at 5-2 in the second set — and 28 forehand misses throughout the match.
-It is notable that Gauff failed to secure a single break point until she found herself a set and a break behind in the second set.
Badosa, who reached a record ranking of No. 2 in 2022, had to overcome a difficult journey marked by a serious back injury that made him consider retirement.
“I never thought that a year later I would be here,” she admitted. “I’ve been through a lot. In the past, I was one of the best players in the world. »
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For the rest, Badosa will face either world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka, double reigning champion in Melbourne, or number 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, finalist at Roland-Garros in 2021. Their quarter-final clash was scheduled for Tuesday evening.
Tennis fans were also impatiently awaiting the big match of the day between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic, 37, is aiming for an 11th Australian Open title and a 25th Grand Slam singles title in his prestigious career. Alcaraz is hoping to complete a career Grand Slam at just 21 years old by winning the championship in Australia, having already won two titles at Wimbledon, as well as one each at the US Open and Roland Garros.
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