Badosa stuns Gauff to reach first major semi-final

Paula Badosa pulled off a stunning upset against Coco Gauff at the Australian Open, reaching her first Grand Slam semi-final in her career. Just a year ago, she was worried that she might have to retire.

The former world No. 2 from Spain, who was plagued by back problems for nearly two years and saw her ranking plummet to 140, has continued her comeback in astonishing fashion after a strong finish to 2024, ending American Gauff’s 13-match winning streak with a 7-5, 6-4 victory.

“I’m a little bit emotional, you know, I’m a very emotional person,” Badosa said. “I’ve been through a lot. I was one of the best players in the world in the past, but I think I'm stronger now.”

Badosa was named the WTA Comeback Player of the Year in 2024 after recovering from a spinal stress fracture that caused her to miss two of the four Grand Slam events in 2023. The 27-year-old won her first title in more than two years at the Washington Open in August and reached the quarterfinals of the US Open a month later.

“A year ago, I was here suffering with my back, and I didn’t know if I was going to retire,” said Badosa, the No. 11 seed. “And now I’m here playing against the best players in the world. I won today, I’m in the semi-finals. I never imagined that one year later I would be here. It’s a dream come true.” She will face either two-time defending champion and friend Aryna Sabalenka or No. 27 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in the semi-finals.

The No. 3 seed Gauff arrived in Melbourne in red-hot form, having won last year’s WTA Finals and all five of her singles matches at the start-of-season United Cup, including a victory over Iga Swiatek. The 20-year-old had not dropped a set in eight matches this season before her fourth-round victory over Belinda Bencic.

But on Rod Laver Arena, Badosa came out firing, breaking serve at 6-5 to take the first set. The pair traded breaks in the second, but Gauff’s game began to unravel, the 20-year-old committing 25 unforced errors and six double faults. Badosa finally clinched the match on her second match point, dropping to her knees in celebration before embracing Gauff at the net.

“Paula played well. Maybe there were some moments in the first set that could have gone my way,” said Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion. “I’m obviously disappointed, but I’m not completely broken. Even though I lost today, I feel like I’m on an upward trajectory.”