The Spaniard lost against Petra Martic in three sets and is still without passing the second round in the US Open.
It was pointed to the temple Paula Badosa after taking the first set against Petra Martic. Head, head, the Catalan farts. She head to manage a duel that dawned complicated. To weather the setbacks that the Croatian would surely inflict, as sharp as she was playing. And finally break down that wall that she has at the US Open, where she has never made it past the second round. Paula Badosa was right: up there the crack would come out. With each setback she became more fragile until she surrendered the match 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1.
Petra Martic’s ranking, number 54 in the world, could deceive, but not Badosa, who knew very well how the Croatian spends it. A player without great strengths, but neither weaknesses. A complete tennis player capable of putting anyone in trouble—this season alone she had already beaten the two Top 10 players she had faced. And Paula Badosa knew it better than anyone: a year ago in Cincinnati she had already had to save five match points to defeat her. “Head”. He knew what was on him.
Badosa had already had to squeeze to button up the first sleeve in the tie-break. And even the road to sudden death -no one has won more than her this course, 14- had been steep: she had to save up to four break balls in the ninth game, the critical moment to which she responded with more integrity. After turning around a mini-break, he sealed the first act with a good passing crossed.
in the maze
Paradoxically, whoever seemed to emerge stronger from the tie-break It was the Croat, who kept hitting and hitting Badosa until she started to crack. The Catalan, who had reacted so well in the first round against Lesia Tsurenko, gave up the first break in the second set with a double fault and got lost in a maze from which he couldn’t get out. As soon as Martic held steady on the other side, he lowered his arms and handed over the entire sleeve.
Badosa already seemed to be focused on the deciding set, and certainly the signs were good. While she was waiting for the Croatian to return from the locker room, the Catalan made shadows in a small corner of court 17. She practiced hitting with two hands alone. With the right, with the reverse. Her ducking, her seeking reply to that boat on the line so treacherous that she was giving him more than a little trouble. She jumped on the spot, she was active. But the resolution was short-lived.
After a good start, he failed to redeem a ball of break and then he took another break. It was a crash. With 1-3 and three more break balls against him, Badosa buried his face in the edge of the racket and shook his head. “Nothing is coming out, dammit.”
Summary of the last two sets and of a North American tour that leaves a very poor balance: she fell in the first round in Toronto, where she had to withdraw, in Cincinnati, where a year ago she had suffered so much against Petra Martic, and in the second round in the US Open, a ceiling that for now continue without knocking down.
Garbie quotes with Kvitova
That strength that Paula Badosa lacked, she did have Garbie Muguruzawho bent with a firm hand Linda Fruhvirtova to seal the pass to the third round in just over an hour (6-0, 6-4). The Spanish-Venezuelan razer in the first round, and although she was soon seen with a break down in the second, he reacted with impetus to close on the fast track.
His next opponent will be Peter Kvitov, a rival who has taken the measure: the Czech tennis player has prevailed in the last five duels, four of them on hard court. The most recent, the Doha final last season (6-2, 6-1), the second he beat him there. And the most familiar, the round of 16 of the 2017 US Open. Kvitova will also arrive rested, as her rival, the Ukrainian Anhelina Kalininaretired without playing.
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