The best season of Girona Paula Badosa in the professional tennis circuit also has its Olympic version: yesterday it qualified for the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Games with a clear victory over Argentina Nadia Podoroski (6-2 and 6-3). It was the most comfortable performance for Badosa since he arrived at Japan, where he first had to eliminate the French Kristina Mladenovic in a match that lasted until the three sets, before getting rid of the Polish on Monday Iga Swiatek, sixth seed, 6-3, 7-6. In yesterday’s duel of eighths he was top overall in Podoroska, nine points behind in the standings WTA. The of Begur he didn’t allow his service to be broken throughout the initial set and only fit a break in the second, which he made up for by a double game.
He also advanced round Garbiñe Muguruza, seventh seed in the Olympic tournament, who caught the quarterfinals after beating the Belgian Alison van Uytvanck by 6-4 and 6-1. He did so minutes after the surprise of the day came. The Japanese Naomi Osaka, world number two and clear favorite to win gold at home, had fallen a while earlier for the Czech Marketa Vondrousova. Precisely, Badosa’s next obstacle with the semifinals on the horizon. This season they have already seen the faces with victory of the Girona in the tournament of Roland Garros by 6-4, 3-6 and 6-2.
The cross, in doubles
The good news in the singles was not so much when the doubles matches came. The Spanish representation was left without any of its partners. Paula Badosa, accompanied by Sara Sorribes, lost their match in the round of 16. Three quarters of the same thing happened to Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suarez.
The day could not be complete for Girona. Along with Sorribes, they lost to the first seed of the tournament, the Czechs Barbora Krejcikova i Katerina Siniakova. After a colorless first set (6-2), the match was tied with the subsequent 5-7. In the tiebreaker, luck was not on his side and the favorites ended up imposing their best success in the decisive strokes: 10-5. For their part, Muguruza and Suárez lost to the Swiss Belinda Bencic i Viktorija Golubic in an outcome, if not done, quite similar because it was also necessary to reach the tiebreaker. The initial 3-6 could be turned upside down, and in what way, with the 6-1 of the second set. In the decisive stretch, there was no way: 11-9.
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