Coco Gauff stunned by Paula Badosa at the Australian Open, ending her 13-match win streak

Coco Gauff’s 13-match winning streak came to a halt at the Australian Open on Tuesday, as the American star was defeated 7-5, 6-4 by Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals, ending her hopes of claiming a second grand slam title.

Entering the match with an impressive 13-match win streak, Gauff seemed poised to continue her strong form at Melbourne Park, but she was unable to overcome the inspired play of the Spaniard, who reached her first grand slam semifinal of her career. Despite a late break of serve providing a brief glimmer of hope, Gauff was ultimately undone by her own inconsistencies and Badosa’s relentless play.

“It’s tough right after and I’m still disappointed, but I think the way I played, even though it wasn’t my best, I gave it my all on the court so that’s something to be proud of,” Gauff said after the match. “I fought ‘til the end. Some matches are going to go my way, some are not. I think it’s just one of those things that maybe a couple of years ago I would feel a lot more crushed and feel the world is ending type sadness.”

Badosa, seeded 11th at the Australian Open, started strong by breaking Gauff’s serve at 5-5 in the first set. A superb backhand volley followed by a crushing forehand winner helped her secure the break. The set was wrapped up shortly afterward as Gauff was forced to push a forehand long, marking only the second time this tournament that the 20-year-old had dropped a set.

While the first set was tightly contested with just one break of serve, the second set saw Badosa take control early. Gauff struggled with a series of forehand errors, and Badosa capitalized by breaking Gauff’s serve to go up 2-1. Gauff briefly responded by leveling the set at 2-2, but her forehand remained inconsistent, and she hit 41 unforced errors throughout the match. A double fault in the fifth game of the second set gave Badosa a 5-2 lead, and despite Gauff’s efforts to regain her composure, it was too late. Badosa closed out the match with a forehand winner, sealing her first-ever victory in a grand slam quarterfinal on her third attempt.

Reflecting on her own journey to the semifinals, Badosa revealed that she had considered retiring from the sport last year due to a persistent back injury. “The back wasn’t responding well and I didn’t find solutions,” the 27-year-old said. “But I wanted to give it a last try, a last chance to finish the year and let’s see how it would go. And well, here I am. I’m really proud of what we went through with all my team and especially how I fought through all that, especially mentally.”

Badosa’s victory was especially significant given the struggles she faced in the previous year, making her comeback to the top of the game even more impressive. She now heads into Thursday’s semifinals where she will face two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in her quarterfinal match.

For Gauff, while the defeat was a setback, it marks another step in her development as a top-level player. The 20-year-old American has made considerable strides in her career, and though her dream of a second grand slam title was dashed, she remains focused on the long-term goal of achieving success at the highest levels of the sport.

Badosa’s next opponent, Sabalenka, will pose a tough challenge, but the Spaniard’s resilience in overcoming her injury struggles and her mental fortitude throughout the match against Gauff prove that she is more than capable of continuing her strong run. With both players bringing their best to the court, the upcoming semifinal promises to be an exciting and closely contested battle.