Defending Champion Paula Badosa Opens Up About Personal Struggles Following Indian Wells Win - UBITENNIS
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Defending Champion Paula Badosa Opens Up About Personal Struggles Following Indian Wells Win

How setting one specific goal has helped the Spaniard rise to the top of the women’s game.

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Paula Badosa’s love affair with the BNP Paribas Open is showing no signs of ending after she secured her ninth consecutive win at the tournament on Tuesday evening.

Badosa, who is seeded fifth in this year’s draw, surged past US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-4, in what was their first Tour meeting since 2020. The Spaniard hit a total of 23 winners and won 67% of her service points. She broke twice in the first set and once in the second to secure a spot in the quarter-finals.

I think I’m playing every day better and better. I’m feeling my tennis is getting higher, the level. I’m very happy about today and the win,” Badosa told reporters afterwards.

It was Indian Wells where the 24-year-old won the first title of her career less than 12 months ago. In 2021 the tournament was postponed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic which paved the way for Badosa to enjoy a fairytale run. She produced five consecutive wins over seeded players, including former Grand Slam champions Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka.

Badosa’s journey on the Tour has been far from easy. A former teenage prodigy after winning the French Open girls’ title in 2015 she initially found it tough transitioning to the pro Tour. It wasn’t until four years later when she broke into the top 100 for the first time and incredibly it was only last year when she cracked the top 50.

“It was not because I didn’t want to win or I didn’t want to fight. I wanted to, but I was so frustrated that I couldn’t control my emotions,” she said of her past difficulties on the Tour.
“I was getting very negative very soon. That is what was making me not fight.”

After her frustrations, Badosa set herself a personal goal of fighting during every match which has seemed to work wonders for her in recent months. She is currently ranked seventh in the world which is three spots before her career best. In January she reached the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time in her career.

I was very bad mentally. I wasn’t a fighter,” she admits. “Maybe two years ago I was struggling a lot. I don’t remember exactly, but I think it was two and a half years ago I was top hundred, so it was very fast.”
“Since then I have changed a little bit. It was like a goal for me personally and a challenge that I did myself, to fight every point no matter what, no matter my feelings in the match. I’m very happy because I think I’m doing it every match, or that’s what I try.”

Now seeking to become the first woman in history to win back-to-back Indian Wells titles, Badosa will next take on Veronika Kudermetova who defeated Naomi Osaka in the second round. It will be a far from easy task for the defending champion who has lost to the Russian in all three of their previous meetings, including two last year.

Badosa is the sercond highest ranked player remaining in the draw after Poland’s Iga Swiatek.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas beats Sebastian Ofner in Barcelona to extend his winning streak

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Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Sebastian Ofner 6-4 7-5 at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell to extend his winning streak to seven consecutive matches after claiming his third title at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters last week. 

Tsitsipas earned an immediate break in the first game. Ofner broke straight back to draw level to 1-1. Tsitsipas earned his second break  in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead and served out the first set 6-4 with a hold at 15. 

Tsitsipas broke in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Ofner won three consecutive games with two breaks of serve to take a 5-3 lead. Tsitsipas came back by winning four consecutive games with two breaks of serve to seal the second set 7-5.

Tsitsipas has a record of 17 wins to 5 defeats in Barcelona. The Greek player reached three finals at this tournament in 2018, 2021 and 2023.  

“I feel pretty good, but it is still early in the tournament. The conditions here are very different to Monte-Carlo and I felt it today when I was playing. My job is to adapt and to ensure I can bring my A game again in Barcelona this week. Today was a great test to see where I stand. I am hoping to keep on improving and getting good wins like this under my belt”, said Tsitsipas. 

Tsitssipas set up a third round match against Roberto Carballes Baena, who beat Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 in 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

Musetti saved three break points in the first game of the opening set. The Italian player earned two break points with a backhand down the line. Musetti saved two break points in the seventh game. Both players went on serve un the 12th game when Carballes Baena saved a set point. Carballes Baena went up a 5-1 lead with two mini-breaks in the tie-break. Musetti won three consecutive points to reduce to 4-5. Carballes Baena won the final two points to take the tie-break 7-4. 

Carballes Baena converted his fourth break point in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Musetti broke back in the fifth game. Carballes Baena saved a break point in the sixth game. The Spanish player sealed the win with a break on his second match. 

Last week’s Monte-Carlo finalist Casper Ruud beat Alexandre Muller 6-3 6-4 to claim his 25th tour-level win of the season. Ruud has drawn level with Jannik Sinner for the most wins in 2024 on the ATP Tour. 

Ruud set up a third round match against Jordan Thompson, who beat Jaume Munar 6-4 2-4 6-4. Roberto Bautista Agut beat Andrea Vavassori 4-6 6-4 6-1 to claim his milestone 400th match win on the ATP Tour. Bautista Agut set up a third round match against Cameron Norrie. 

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Roberto Bautista Agut wins his milestone 400th match on the ATP Tour

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Roberto Bautista Agut came back from one set down to beat Australian Open doubles finalist Andrea Vavassori 4-6 6-3 6-1 after 2 hours and 1 minute at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. 

Vavassori earned an early break in the first game. The Italian player earned three break points in the seventh game, but Bautista Agut saved them. The Spanish player broke straight back in the eighth game. Vavassori broke again in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead and saved two break points before closing out the first set 6-4 on his second set point. 

Both players went on serve in the first four games of the second set. Vavassori earned a break point in the fifth game, but he did not convert it. Bautista Agut broke serve in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead and did not face any break points to win the second set 6-3. 

Bautista Agut broke three times to cruise through to a 6-1. 

Bautista Agut reached the 400th milestone win on the ATP Tour.  The Spanish player has become the 13th active player with at least 400 ATP Tour wins. He achieved 20 wins against members of the top 10, ten wins against top 5 players and four against world number 1s. Bautista Agut is one of the nine players, who have beaten Novak Djokovic as World number 1 more than twice. 

“For me it’s just a number. The important thing is that I have done great work over these years, that I have a very consistent career, a career that I can feel proud of “, said Bautista Agut. 

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Martina Trevisan beats Naomi Osaka to reach the second round in Rouen

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Martina Trevisan upset former world number 1 Naomi Osaka 6-4 6-2 in the opening round of the Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole. 

Osaka has played her first clay-court match since Roland Garros 2022, where she lost to Amanda Anisimova. The Japanese player has not won a match on clay since beating Anastasia Potapova in the first round of the Madrid Mutua Open in 2022. She helped Japan beat Kazakhstan in the Billie Jean King Cup. 

Trevisan reached the quarter final in 2020 and the semifinal in 2022 at Roland Garros. The former world number 18 won her only title in Rabat in 2022. She reached the quarter finals of the Zaragoza ITF 100 tournament. 

Both players traded breaks in the first two games. Osaka earned two break points at 3-2 and three more chances at 4-3, but she was not able to convert them. Trevisan broke serve in the ninth game following a series of forehand errors. 

Trevisan broke twice in the third and seventh games and served out the win on her first match point. 

Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva beat Elina Avanesyan 7-5 6-4 in 1 hour and 41 minutes to reach her second quarter final of 2024. 

Andreeva went up a break in the seventh game, but Avanesyan pulled back on serve to draw level to 4-4. Andreeva broke for the second time in the 11th game to win the second set 7-5. Andreeva broke in the first game to open up a 2-0 lead. Avanesyan converted her third break-back point in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Andreeva broke serve at love in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Avanesyan broke back in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Andreeva broke for the third time in the ninth game and served out the win on her second match point after saving two break points. 

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