World number 4 Paula Badosa praised Cori Gauff after their match in San Jose, saying the 18-year-old American has what it takes to become a great champion.
Badosa, seeded second in the San Jose main draw, knocked out sixth-seeded and home favorite Gauff 7-6(4) 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Badosa now leads the head-to-head with Gauff 2-1.
“I had to be consistent from the baseline,” Badosa said after beating Gauff, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “She’s a great runner, she’s aggressive, she has everything to be a great champion.
But at the time, I had to be more regular. I am happy with this victory because it was important for me.”
Badosa on his victory against Gauff
“The start was tough because she started serving well,” Badosa said.
“For me, trying to find the rhythm is playing a lot of long points. So I tried to find that and return her serve a bit more because she has a big, big serve.” Gauff got the first break of the match in the third game, but Badosa came back to score in the fourth game.
After missing his first break, Gauff broke Badosa again in game five. Gauff was leading 5-3 in the first eight games, but Badosa refused to give up. She broke the American in game 10 and saved two break points in game 11 to force a tie-break.
In the tie-break, the two players were tied at 4-4, before Badosa won the next three points to win a tight opening set. After winning the first set, Badosa broke Gauff twice in the second set to earn a straight-set victory.
“After (the first set), I think she was upset and had doubts about my serve,” Badosa added. “I took that opportunity and played pretty smart”
