Both hands in the air, and tears in her eyes – that’s how Paula Badosa celebrated her R3 win over Daria Kasatkina. It wasn’t an easy one. Kasatkina pushed Badosa to 3rd set or rather it was the other way around. Kasatkina has an 80-rank advantage over Badosa, thus the latter claiming a major upset in the tournament. This all became all the more significant as she overcame not only tough opponents but also a career-threatening injury. Fret not, as the Spaniard has consistent support from her partner, Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The moment Kasatkina’s return got in the net, Badosa dropped her racquet, and celebrations took an emotional turn for multiple reasons. However, there was another silver lining to the celebrations. The moment Badosa stepped off the court, she was in the arms of her Greek beau, Tsitsipas. He celebrated Badosa’s win with a long hug and soft murmurings as the staff and players looked at them. Both the players shared their emotional celebration on their X accounts. While Tsitsipas captioned it, “Proud of you @paulabadosa🫶🏻.” The Spaniard retweeted it with this caption: “Stronger together. Always.”

In the match against Kasatkina, Badosa won the first set through a tie-break. However, the Russian tennis star came back strong to claim the 2nd set 6-4, pushing the match into a decider. However, the Spaniard stayed resilient to claim victory with 4-6 against Kasatkina. With this win, Badosa extended her H2H record against the Russian to 3-2.

While Tsitsipas is already out of Wimbledon, Badosa has extended her journey by qualifying for R4 with her win over Kasatkina. This victory matters more than others, as a few months ago, her tennis career seemed to be in a lurch after a career-threatening injury. However, the World No. 93, stayed resilient throughout and during the match, as she defied her doctor’s orders to stand on the tennis court.

Paula Badosa’s defies doctor’s order to extend het Wimbledon campaign further

Badosa may have caught Andy Murray’s bug to put doctors’ opinion second to her own and win matches. After Murray got his hip fixed, doctors ruled out his time on the court. However, the knight made a terrific return at the Australian Open against Thanasi Kokkinakis. The match ended in the dawn of the next day.

However, with Badosa, it wasn’t the hip or shoulder, but the back. She revealed during her post-match interview on court how this win over Kasatkina means much more than the others. She said, “A few months ago, I didn’t know if I could play tennis anymore.” She broke down in tears while the tennis fans applauded her grit in with a resounding applause.

With her boyfriend and some new friends supporting her, Paula Badosa would give tough competition to the favorites. Now every fan’s gaze is on her journey after this upset!