WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. summer has been hot in more ways than one for Paula Badosa. The resurgent Spaniard won her first WTA title in two years in Washington, D.C. and followed that up by reaching the semifinals at Cincinnati.
She kept up her sizzling play on the first day of the US Open Monday by scorching Viktorija Golubic 6-0, 6-3 in the Grandstand.
The No. 26 seed flashed plenty of the vintage form that carried her all the way up to No. 2 in the WTA rankings in April 2022 in the 69-minute match against her veteran Swiss opponent, who was looking for her first career US Open win in her seventh appearance.
Babosa pretty much dictated play throughout to equal her best US Open showing of the second round in 2021 and 2022. The 26-year-old Spaniard cracked 18 winners and four aces, including one on her first match point.
In what was an otherwise solid outing, one area of concern for Badosa was her serving. A rash of six doubles faults–including three to drop the first game of the second set–troubled the Spaniard through a spotty second set. She lost serve twice there
WHAT IT MEANS: A balky back has plagued Badosa for much of the last two seasons. She missed last year’s US Open as her 2023 season was cut short after Wimbledon with a stress fracture that was feared to be career-ending.
This year has been an uneven one as well for the 26-year-old. Healthy she had played very well, making the fourth round at Wimbledon and third round at both the Australian and French Opens before going on a tear this summer.
But, other times the back has flared up and forced her to retire from matches three times.
A big question for Badosa then will be if her back can hold up from the pounding of playing every other day on the hard courts to make a deep run into the tournament.
MATCH POINT: An outside title contender, can Badosa join the 1994 champion Arantxa Sachez-Vicario as the only Spanish women to win the US Open?
