Paula Badosa takes out Coco Gauff in Madrid for milestone 10th Top 10 win of career

Paula Badosa gave her home fans lots to cheer about at the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday, pulling off an emphatic upset of No. 6 seed Coco Gauff in the third round of the WTA 1000 event, 6-3, 6-0.

The Spanish women’s No. 1 was asked afterwards how it felt to play in front of her adoring home crowd.

“Amazing. It’s very emotional for me,” she said.

“I love them too, and I feel their support every point.”

After Badosa broke in the opening game, Gauff broke right back and held for a 2-1 lead. But from there it was all Badosa, who ended up winning 11 of the last 12 games—as well as the last eight in a row from 4-3 in the first set—to seal a 71-minute victory on center court.

The Spaniard finished the match with more winners than Gauff (9 to 8) and fewer than half the unforced errors (16 to 37).

“I think I served very well. I was playing in the baseline very aggressive,” Badosa said. “Technically, I think I played perfect, and I’m very happy that I won against a player like Coco.”

It was also the milestone 10th Top 10 win of Badosa’s career, and her second over a world No. 6, having beaten a No. 6-ranked Maria Sakkari at the season-ending WTA Finals in Guadalajara in 2021.

Her five best wins include one over each Top 5 rank: No. 1 (Ashleigh Barty at 2021 Charleston); No. 2 (Aryna Sabalenka at 2021 WTA Finals); No. 3 (Sabalenka at 2021 Cincinnati); No. 4 (Barbora Krejcikova at 2022 Sydney); and No. 5 (Krejcikova at 2021 Indian Wells).

It’s been a difficult last six months for Badosa—the former No. 2, who was still in the Top 5 as recently as last October, is currently down at No. 42. She fell out of the Top 10 last October when her points from winning the fall edition of Indian Wells the year before dropped off, and her 2023 season got off to a rocky start when she had to withdraw from the Australian Open with a thigh injury.

But she seems to be gathering steam again now, winning seven of her last nine matches, and she’s been oh so close to a few massive upsets over the last several weeks—she had a match point at 6-3, 5-4 against Elena Rybakina in the third round of Miami before falling, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, and just last week she was up 6-4, 4-2 against Sabalenka in the quarterfinals of Stuttgart but lost, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

“I’m proud of myself,” Badosa said after her win over Gauff. “I mean, I have been working very hard. It’s been tough. Tennis life is very tough. Every week you’re losing and you have opportunities and you don’t get it. Sometimes you get it. It’s a tough career, you know.

“So matches like this, as I said before, and in this court with all the crowd supporting you, it makes me feel like everything, it’s worth it. Even though it’s like third round, but it’s as well special for me.”