Spain’s Paula Badosa sailed into the Beijing semi-finals and sent a classy gesture to her opponent after the match.
A whirlwind week for the former world number two has been nothing but a boisterous announcement that she means business.
Not everything has gone Paula Badosa’s way recently, with the Spaniard even admitting she was close to retiring from tennis altogether after continued injury struggles.
Now having thumped US Open finalist Jessica Pegula in a ruthless and clinical 63-minute rout, the 26-year-old kept her foot on the accelerator.
The first set whistled by in just 23 minutes 6-1, before a more competitive second saw the 15th seed close out proceedings 7-4 in the tie-break.
What did Paula Badosa say to Shuai Zhang at the net?
In control from the starting pistol, Badosa didn’t let Shuai Zhang’s rejuvenated ability continue on its miraculous upward curve.
Until her first-round match, Zhang had lost 24 singles matches in a row, with her last win coming an astonishing 603 days ago.
Getting that first win however awakened Zhang’s edge and she shocked Emma Navarro before notching up another two straight-sets victories.
Humble in both victory and defeat, a sensitive embrace at the net saw Badosa quizzed on what was said between the pair.
She said in her on-court interview: “She’s amazing as a person, you can see the level today also. I’m really happy for her because I know she went through very tough times but it shows how much of a fighter she is.
“She’s great, her team is great, she’s always with a smile, even supporting me during the tour so it’s great to have a tennis player like her.
“And what I told her in the net, that she shouldn’t retire because her level is really, really high.”
The Paula Badosa renaissance is here
In May, Badosa was 40 spots outside the WTA top 100, with morale undeniably and visibly at an all-time low.
Her subsequent comeback is therefore even more impressive, with the 26-year-old having won 18 of her last 21 matches.
A run to the quarter-finals at the US Open was ended by Navarro, however managed to match her best ever result at a major.
Set to face either Coco Gauff or Ukrainian qualifier Yulia Starodubtsewa, little looks able to stall the Badosa runaway train at the moment.
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