Paula Badosa, number 4 in the world and third favorite, trailed on Wednesday and fell to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in his Cincinnati tournament debut, in a game that ended after 1:15 a.m. and was played in a semi-deserted stadium.
Badosa, who last year was a quarterfinalist in this tournament, succumbed 6-7 (3), 6-0, 6-2 in two hours and 26 minutes against Tomljanovic, a rival he has beaten twice this year in Australia.
The Spaniards started the match in a positive waybut paid for his vertical slump in the second set and failed to recover.
It was the second consecutive first-round loss for Badosa, who withdrew from the Toronto tournament due to a physical problem in her match against Yulia Putintseva.
His defeat occurred eleven days before the start, on August 29, of the US Open in New York.
Tomljanovic, number 63 in the world, snapped a ten-game losing streak against opponents in the world’s top-10.
The match was initially scheduled at 8:30 pm local time on center court, but the heavy rain that fell around 7:45 pm forced the previous match to be cut short by an hour and a halfthat of Rafa Nadal against Croatian Borna Coric.
So, in the middle busy until after 11:00 pmthe match was moved to court 3 of the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
It was a match of ups and downs for Badosa and was marked by a series of sets, starting with a 3-1 lead by Badosa that Tomljanovic got back to force the tiebreaker.
The Spaniards played it with concentration and won it 7-3.
However, everything changed in the second set, when Tomljanovic raised the level of her game. upright and sealed with a resounding 6-0. His run extended to nine games, with the Aussie slipping away for a quick 3-0 run in the deciding set.
to stop, Badosa covered her head with a towel in an attempt to calm down. and regain sensations.
In an effort, she broke the streak and, at 2-4, even had a break point to level the match, but Tomljanovic canceled it out with a good backhand and maintained her lead.
Badosa lost that game due to a forehand error and ended up throwing his racket to the ground out of frustration. He was unable to recover and gave his serve to zero.
Tomljanovic won 6-7 (4), 6-0 and 6-2 and qualified for the round of 16 in the final, where she will face Russian Veronika Kudermetova.
At the end of the game, the Australian expressed his delight at beating a Badosa he considered “one of the best in the world”.
Badosa’s loss was compounded by her compatriot Garbiñe Muguruzawho was eliminated in the first round by Kazakh Elena Rybakina, current Wimbledon champion.
Results of the day
Second round
Elena Rybakina a Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 6-1
Ajla Tomljanović a Paula Badosa 6-7 (3/7), 6-0, 6-2
Iga Swiatek d. Sloane Stephens 6-4, 7-5
Madison Keys d. Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 7-5
Alison Riske to Marie Bouzková (retired)
Veronika Kudermetova to Simona Halep (retired)
Petra Kvitova d. Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-3
Ons Jabeur def Caty McNally 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7)
Jessica Pegula defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-2
Emma Raducanu defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-0, 6-2
Elise Mertens defeated Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (7/3), 6-3
Aryna Sabalenka d Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 4-1 (forfeit)
Shelby Rogers to Amanda Anisimova (retired)
Zhang Shuai defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-3, 6-4
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
