Paula Badosa came through an extraordinary first-round test at the US Open, converting her ninth match point to beat Daria Kasatkina after rain had left their Court 17 contest unfinished overnight. The world No. 87 will now meet fourth seed Coco Gauff in the second round.
SEO Title: Paula Badosa beats Daria Kasatkina to set Coco Gauff clash at US Open
SEO Description: Paula Badosa overcame an overnight rain delay and nine match points against Daria Kasatkina to reach the US Open second round, where Coco Gauff awaits.
Paula Badosa outlasts Kasatkina in rain-delayed US Open opener
The match
Badosa’s opening match stretched across two days in New York, despite the Spaniard having been one point from victory late on Tuesday. The former world No. 2 had dominated the first set and stood at 6-1, 5-4, deuce against Kasatkina when rain stopped play for the night.
She had already failed to take three match points before the suspension, leaving the 26-year-old to return to her hotel at midnight after almost 15 hours at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center without knowing whether her first-round place would be secured the following day.
Badosa said the interruption was particularly difficult because she had never previously been left waiting overnight with a match so close to completion.
“I was extremely tense,” Badosa said. “Everyone says tennis is mental, but this was on another level mentally.”
Unable to settle after leaving the grounds, Badosa said she repeatedly replayed the missed opportunities and tried meditation and breathing exercises in an effort to sleep. Her rest was broken, while a limited warm-up on Wednesday left her feeling tired and emotional. She also struggled to eat, although she said she has learned to compete without much food.
When play resumed, Badosa immediately won the first point to create match point No. 4. Kasatkina, representing Australia, resisted again, saving another four opportunities as the final game ran through six deuces. Badosa eventually ended the contest with an ace on her ninth chance to advance.
“In my mind I had already played the match 50 times,” Badosa said. “It felt as if I had played a five-setter.”
The victory continues a recovery that has transformed Badosa’s season. During a difficult first half of the year, she fell to No. 141 in the PIF WTA Rankings after losing seven of nine WTA Tour matches.
With direct acceptance into the US Open main draw at stake, Badosa put together a decisive run on clay in June. She won five matches in six days to take the WTA 125 Nordea Open, then added four victories at the WTA 250 UniCredit Open in Iasi. Those nine wins returned her to the Top 100 and earned her place in the New York field.
“I felt I could not afford to lose because I was trying to get into this tournament,” she said. “I knew I had to win nine out of the 10 matches I had planned. It was a challenge, and there was a lot of pressure, but I think I managed it well.”
Badosa had not played a match since July before arriving at the US Open. After her escape against Kasatkina, her immediate plan was recovery and rest before a far bigger stage awaits.
The next round
Badosa will face 2023 US Open champion Gauff, the No. 4 seed, in the second round at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Spaniard holds a 5-3 lead in their head-to-head series, including a three-set victory over Gauff in Berlin earlier this summer. Badosa welcomed the prospect of another meeting with the American.
“I enjoy playing these kinds of opponents and competing in the big stadiums,” Badosa said. “Coco and I have played many times, so we know each other’s games very well. It will come down to who performs best that day.”
She added that her recent win over Gauff came when she produced a high-level display, and said she hopes to reproduce that standard in New York.
