One of Paula Badosa’s goals this year is to leave behind the negativity of some results and what better way to do it than on the spot … where a year ago he reached his only Grand Slam semifinals of his sporting career. The Catalan, free of injuries, has been able to play several matches at the beginning of the year and arrives optimistically in Melbourne, where she will defend 600 points, a very important haul because, if she loses them, she would be among the fifty best tennis players in the world.
Badosa will make her debut in the tournament against the guest Zarina Diyas, a tennis player who has had several breaks in recent years due to injuries and who can be a good start for the Catalan to establish herself in a tournament in which last year she won five consecutive matches until losing in the semifinals against Aryna Sabalenka.
Along with Badosa, three other Spaniards will start the Australian tournament this Saturday. Jessica Bouzas, who made the second round last year, will face Storm Hunter, qualified from the qualifying phase; Cristina Bucsa will face twelfth seed Elina Svitolina, and Guiomar Maristany will play her first Grand Slam final draw match against Polina Kudermetova.
The Catalan, number 184 in the ranking, had never gone beyond the second round of the qualifying phase, but she has eliminated Mayar Sherif, Tatiana Prozorova and Elvina Kalieva to be among the 128 players that make up this Australian Open.
