Gauffa surprised Bados in the quarters of the Australian Open; Zverev defeats Paul | Tennis news
Paula Badosa, who almost retired from tennis in 2024, reached her first Grand Slam semifinal by beating Gauff in straight sets.
“Emotional” Paula Bados crushed world number three Coco Gauff’s dream of a first Australian Open title with an incredible 7-5, 6-4 quarter-final win in Melbourne.
Badosa reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career – the first Spaniard to do so since Garbine Muguruza in Melbourne 2020 – in a match that lasted one hour and 43 minutes on Tuesday.
“I’m a little emotional,” said Badosa, who will face either her close friend and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenko or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in the final.
“I am a very emotional person. I wanted to play my best game. I think I succeeded.
“I’m extremely proud of the level I gave today.”
It marks a remarkable return to tennis for the 11th seed who was ranked outside the top 100 a year ago following a stress fracture in her back.
“I mean, a year ago, I was here with my back not knowing if I was going to have to retire from this sport, and now I’m here playing against the best in the world,” Badosa said.
Third seed Gauff was unbeaten in nine matches this season but dropped her first set in 2025 before recovering to beat Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic in the last 16.
Badosa started aggressively and Gauff was serving under pressure early in the first set.
The American, uncharacteristically, failed to create a single break point in the first set and littered her game with unforced errors.
Gauff was far from her aggressive best but said she was feeling more positive than she was after her fourth-round loss to compatriot Emma Navarro at the US Open.
“Even though I lost today, I feel like I’m on an upward trajectory,” Gauff told reporters after the match.
“I know what I have to work on.
“Obviously I’m disappointed, but I’m not completely devastated.”
Meanwhile, second seed Alexander Zverev in the men’s competition defeated Tommy Paul to record a 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-0), 6-2, 6-1 victory to secure his place in the last four.
Zverev, who was cautioned for swearing in the quarter-finals after a bird feather bothered him, is among the favorites for the title.
The German lost a break in the second set when Paul saved two break points. With the game in the balance, table umpire Nacho Forcadell let go and ordered a replay when he saw a white feather land in Zverev’s eye while the German player was in swing.
“What? A pen? There are millions of them on the court,” Zverev said as he approached the official holding a pen.
Zverev grabbed the net to pause before getting back to work, but Paul soon held serve.
The world number two will face the winner of the thrilling quarter-final between 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic and four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz.
