BERLIN : Paula Badosa produced a spirited comeback to upset fifth seed Coco Gauff 1-6 6-3 6-2 and reach the quarter-finals of the Berlin Tennis Open on Wednesday.
The Spaniard, ranked 142nd in the world after a difficult spell with injuries, recovered from a one-sided opening set to claim one of the biggest wins of her season and improve her career record against Gauff to 5-3.
Gauff, ranked seventh in the world, fired 12 aces compared to Badosa’s four but struggled to convert her opportunities on return. Badosa capitalised on four of five break-point chances across the final two sets, while Gauff converted only one of two.
Badosa, who reached a career-high ranking of world number two in 2022, will now continue her run in the WTA 500 grass-court event after eliminating one of the tournament favourites.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka advanced with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, while third seed Jessica Pegula defeated Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-2 6-4 to book her place in the last eight.
Czech teenager Nikola Bartunkova also progressed, beating Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-1 6-4 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Sabalenka.
Meanwhile, Alexandra Eala of the Philippines moved into the next round with a 7-5 6-4 win over Croatia’s Donna Vekic.
Navarro survives marathon in Nottingham
At the Nottingham Open, third seed Emma Navarro battled for nearly three hours to overcome Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4 6-7(3) 6-4 and secure a place in the quarter-finals.
The American will next face Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who advanced after Katie Volynets retired while trailing 7-5 1-0.
Bouzas Maneiro memorably defeated Navarro 6-1 6-0 in the first round of the 2025 French Open, setting up an intriguing rematch on grass.
Elsewhere, Germany’s Tatjana Maria eased past Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 6-1 6-2, while Australia’s Talia Gibson produced an impressive performance to defeat China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-3 7-6(10).
The results set up a compelling quarter-final lineup as players continue their preparations for Wimbledon later this month.
