Paula Badosa survived a close call against Naomi Osaka in the first round of the 2024 French Open. Following the thrilling contest, the Spaniard sent a touching message to Osaka, who was heartbroken after her defeat.
The highly anticipated battle more than lived up to expectations, with Osaka winning the opening set after a closely contested battle. Badosa then mounted an impressive comeback to clinch the second set and force a decider, eventually claiming a 6-7 (1), 6-1, 6-4 victory after a two-hour and 20-minute encounter.
Naomi Osaka was visibly devastated after her loss, as she broke down in tears and left the room during her post-match press conference. However, Paula Badosa may have lifted the former World No. 1’s spirits with an encouraging message.
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In her press conference, Badosa credited Osaka for pushing her to the limit and acknowledged the high level of play they had put on display. She also took pride in her fighting spirit and said that she was delighted by her resilient performance in the touch contest.
"Well, I think it was a very high level match from both sides. I'm really happy with my performance, how I fought until the end. It was a very tough match. She was taking me to the limit so I think the level was really high and I'm really happy with that today," Paula Badosa said.
However, the Spaniard lamented that it wasn't fair for her and Naomi Osaka to meet at such an early stage of the claycourt Major, especially since it would be crushing for the Japanese to lose after delivering such a stellar performance. However, Badosa reassured the four-time Grand Slam champion that she would achieve her desired level in no time.
"She played great also. We both played very well, it could go either side. First set was very high level and she won and the third set was very high level also and it went my side. I have to be honest that it's not fair to have a first round like this. For her, in this case that she lost because she's playing very good tennis and very very soon she's going to be where she wants to be for sure," she added.
Paula Badosa has also disclosed that she drew inspiration from Rafael Nadal to pull off her comeback win over Naomi Osaka.
Paula Badosa to lock horns with Elena-Gabriela Ruse in French Open 2R after win over Naomi Osaka
Following her hard-fought win over Naomi Osaka, Paula Badosa will lock horns with Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round of the 2025 French Open. Ruse set up an encounter with the 10th seed after beating McCartney Kessler 7-5, 7-6(3) in her opening match.
Although their head-to-head record is tied at 1-1, Badosa claimed a 4-6, 7-6(8) victory in their most recent meeting at the 2024 US Open. If the Spaniard triumphs over Ruse once more, she will take on Daria Kasatkina or Leolia Jeanjean in the third round.
Paula Badosa could then meet Mirra Andreeva in a blockbuster fourth-round encounter, while her potential quarterfinal opponents include Jessica Pegula and Karolina Muchova.
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