The US Open is on the brink of its second week, and the stakes have never been higher. With the quarterfinals in sight, only the best have survived, and Paula Badosa is among them, ready to make her mark. Yet, as she prepares for the next crucial match, something seems to be weighing on her mind. Badosa, who has dazzled fans with her tenacity and skill, now finds herself in a cloud of confusion and uncertainty. 

The Spanish tennis sensation looked in incredible form on Sunday. Playing in the fourth round, she left her Chinese counterpart Wang Yafan baffled and defeated her in straight sets 6-1, 6-2. Going ahead in the tournament, she will either face Coco Gauff, or Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals, depending on who wins the fourth-round match between them. But ahead of the quarterfinals, the Spaniard finds herself a little confused. 

When quizzed whom she would like to play against in the quarterfinals, Badosa failed to make a clear choice. “I really love them both,” she said signifying her difficulty in selecting her favorite player for the match. Continuing further, Badosa sang praises for both the players. “Coco is amazing. She’s so inspiring at such a young age and so mature. I love watching her. She’s a champion and we always have battles. It would be a great match against her on Arthur Ashe, where I never played.”

Both Badosa and Gauff have played 5 matches against each other on the WTA tour with the Spaniard leading the tally 3-2. However, if Gauff manages to outshine Navarro, it would be the first time that she will play against Badosa in a Grand Slam. Meanwhile, Badosa also expressed her high regard for Navarro. “Emma, she’s so humble and an amazing talent. It’s gonna be another battle. We had one in Rome already. I’m looking forward to either and I hope today than have a good match and the best one wins.”

The match between Gauff and Navarro would indeed be intriguing. The players have faced each other twice so far and are leveled in the head-to-head tally. In their latest battle that came at Wimbledon, it was Navarro who outshined Gauff in straight sets. She will now be eyeing to repeat the same and attempt to emerge as a roadblock in her compatriot’s title defense.

For Badosa though, getting past either of them in the quarter-final would be a challenging task, even though she is on the brink of her most successful Grand Slam run. 

Paula Badosa’s journey at the US Open has been inspirational

Paula Badosa has not witnessed immense success in recent times. After she entered the quarterfinals at the French Open of 2021, she couldn’t reach the same position again after that, until the US Open this year. If she manages to win the quarterfinal at the US Open, it will be the best run of her career in Grand Slams. But making it to this point was not easy for Badosa.

Speaking after her fourth-round victory, Badosa said, “Being back here the year after with my best result in a Slam, it’s a dream come true, I never thought about it. And as I said in the last interviews, a few months ago I was thinking to quit this sport because I stopped believing in myself.” While Badosa’s resilience and determination helped her bounce back, the journey ahead is full of challenges.

As Paula Badosa gears up for her quarter-final match against either Gauff or Navarro, it would be interesting to see if she can outshine her opponent and go all the way to win the US Open. What do you think?