Down goes Gauff.
Paula Badosa took down Coco Gauff 7-5, 6-4 within the quarterfinals of the Australian Open to advance to her first profession Grand Slam semifinal.
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It was a surprising upset.
Gauff got here within the third ranked ladies’s skilled tennis participant on the planet.
Badosa was twelfth.
Gauff was undefeated on the yr with a 9-0 report and on a 13-match successful streak, going all the best way again to successful the title on the WTA Finals in November.
Badosa was 0-2 in main quarterfinals earlier than this.
Gauff was on an absolute heater, having solely dropped one set by way of 4 matches on the Australian Open.
That’s till she bumped into Badosa.
The Spaniard was assured in her skill going into the match.
“She’s filled with confidence. However I’m enjoying properly, too,” Badosa mentioned forward of the competition.
“I’m able to face her.”
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Was she ever.
After her victory, Badosa took time to replicate on her journey, together with battling again after a significant again damage.
“I’m a bit emotional,” Badosa mentioned. “As you recognize, I am a really emotional individual.
“I needed to play my greatest tennis. I feel I did…I’m tremendous happy with the extent I gave right now.
“I might by no means suppose that, a yr after, I might be right here. I’ve been by way of so much.
“Prior to now, I used to be among the finest gamers on the planet however I feel now I am a greater participant.”
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“A yr in the past I used to be right here with my again and I did not know if I needed to retire from this sport,” she continued.
“Now I am right here enjoying in opposition to the most effective on the planet. I gained right now, I am within the semi-finals.
“I’ll by no means suppose {that a} yr after I might be right here. This can be a dream come true.”
Badosa seemed each bit the half as among the finest on the planet.
In the meantime, Gauff struggled mightily as she completed with 41 unforced errors, a complete that included six double faults.
It merely wasn’t her day.
Regardless of the upset, she met Badosa at middle courtroom and displayed nice sportsmanship regardless of her disappointing end.
Talking after being knocked out, Gauff mentioned: “Paula was enjoying nice.
“Perhaps some moments within the first set may have gone my approach, may have been a unique end result within the first set.
“I feel it is simply much more work to do. I am clearly upset, however I am not utterly crushed. I am wanting ahead to so much.
“Although I misplaced right now, I really feel like I am in an upward trajectory.”
On her double faults, she added: “I wanted to work on my serve.
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“I am not saying that my serve is the place I would like it to be, however I labored on it. Clearly a giant enchancment.
“I need to proceed engaged on that, proceed engaged on enjoying aggressive.
“I really feel like I used to be prepared from the beginning of this event.
“Yeah, with every match I discovered options. Then right now I used to be near doing that as properly.
“I am clearly upset, however I am not utterly crushed.”
Badosa will wait to see who she faces within the semifinals, both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion or No. 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
In the meantime, Gauff will now have to attend till Might for one more shot at a Grand Slam title on the French Open.