She had a good chance of causing a surprise, but an injury stopped Paula Badosa abruptly. Afterwards, she couldn’t hide her disappointment and burst into tears.
The last match of the day at the WTA tournament in Stuttgart had an unpleasant ending on Wednesday. The Spaniard Paula Badosa had a good chance of winning against world number two Aryna Sabalenka – but she had to give up injured midway through the third set.
At 6:7, 6:4, 3:3, the 26-year-old went to the net early because nothing was going. At the end of the second set she had to have her left thigh treated. Badosa tried again, but without success. Then tears flowed.
First, both opponents hugged each other closely at the net. Badosa then shook hands with the referee before the players hugged again. Badosa, who had been hit so often by injuries in the past, could no longer hold back her emotions. She began to cry bitterly on Sabalenka’s shoulder because of the new setback.
Sabalenka: “I could cry right now”
Sabalenka showed great compassion for her opponent, with whom she is a close personal friend. “I could cry right now. I’m so sorry for her. I just love this girl,” she said in the subsequent interview on the court at the Porsche Arena. And further: “I am so grateful to have a friend like Paula.”
The second in the world rankings wasn’t really happy about her progress. It is still unclear how long Badosa, who is ranked 93rd in the world, will be out. She had already missed much of the 2023 season due to adductor problems and a stress fracture in her spine.
2024-04-18 12:01:51
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