Paula Badosa is making good on her commitment to restore her status on the tour. After enduring career-threatening injuries and skipping tour-level events to regain her formidable form, the Spanish star became the WTA Comeback Player of the Year in 2024. With her foot glued to the pedal, Badosa reached the quarterfinal of the Australian Open where she will now face American Coco Gauff. She claims love for her, but that won’t stop the Spaniard from exacting “revenge” on Gauff.

The Spaniard landed in Melbourne after an unsuccessful campaign at the Brisbane opener and a failed attempt in Auckland. However, Badosa now hunts for the big prize. She made quick work of her opening two rounds opponents Wang Xinyu and Talia Gibson at Melbourne Park. She faced resistance from her R3 rival Marta Kostyuk but prevailed after holding her ground in three sets. For her fourth-round contest, Badosa swept past Serbia’s Olga Danilovic in a riveting 6-1, 7-6(2) battle at Margaret Court Arena.

Before taking on Gauff in the last eight, the Spaniard made a candid admission during her post-match presser. Badosa stated that despite her love for the American sensation, she won’t go easy on her this Tuesday. “I love Coco. I respect her a lot. She’s a great competitor. We always have tough matches. Last one was tough for me because I was winning in that moment, then the momentum changed. I hope I can have my revenge here.”

“It’s a special match, the quarterfinals centre court, against her. I will get ready for that battle again She’s full of confidence but I’m playing well too. I’m ready to face her,” she added. For those unaware, Gauff and Badosa are tied 3-3 in their head-to-head score, but the American star won both their meetings in 2024, with each battle lasting three sets. Their last recorded clash came in the semifinals of the China Open, where Gauff downed the 27-year-old 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 on her way to clinching the title.

To much excitement, Gauff is also looking forward to their upcoming thriller in Melbourne.

Coco Gauff addresses quarterfinal match-up against Paula Badosa

American superstar Coco Gauff had to come from behind on Sunday to register a three-set victory over new mom Belinda Bencic at Rod Laver Arena. She concluded the Swiss player’s campaign with a scoreline of 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 in the fourth round. Having lost a set for the first time this season, the 21-year-old is still riding in high spirits and is on a quest to add the ‘Happy Slam’ silverware to her resume.

Later in an on-court interview, the No. 2 seed acknowledged that Paula Badosa is a formidable opponent and expected to face resistance from the Spaniard for seeking a place in the last four. “Every time I play Paula, it’s a tough matchup. She’s playing some great tennis. Last time we played, I think it went three sets, I’m not sure. But we played end of last year, so I expect this to be another tough match,” Gauff said.

It is worth noting if the quarterfinal results favor Gauff, she could set up last year’s semifinal rematch against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open. Are you backing her to put on a show against Gauff and set up the Sabalenka rematch? Let us know in the comments below.