Paula Badosa claims victory in Adelaide International 2, set to meet Daria Kasatkina for a spot in the final

Published 12/01/2023 at 11:19 GMT

Paula Badosa's semi-final victory against Beatriz Haddad Maia at the Adelaide International 2 tournament took 155 minutes, with the Spaniard winning 7-6(5) 7-5. She is now set to face off against Daria Kasatkina as she continues to look for her first title since her third career WTA Tour title in Sydney last year. Kasatkina booked her place after beating Petra Kvitova 6-3 7-6(3).

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Paula Badosa will face Daria Kasatkina in the semi-finals of the Adelaide International 2 after a two-set victory against Beatriz Haddad Maia.

The match, which took over two and a half hours, saw Badosa, the ninth seed, defeat Haddad Maia 7-6(5) 7-5.

Badosa had a 4-2 lead early in the opening set, but Haddad Maia's forehand winner pulled it back to 5-4.

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The decisive tie-break saw Badosa finish the gruelling 73-minute first set with a cross-court winner.

In the even longer 81-minute second set, Badosa continued to get the better of Haddad Maia, hitting a backhand to break for 6-5 before then converting her second match point to get over the line.

The match saw Badosa finish with eight more winners and one less unforced error than her opponent.

"To be honest, I know [Haddad Maia] is a fighter, and it was going to be a very long match," said Badosa on the court after the long match.

"She doesn’t give up, no matter what, and I really respect these kinds of players.

"I think we served big, we tried to go for the points, but she was moving very well. I think I was the same. It was very tough, but I knew I had to go aggressive on the break points, and when I had my opportunities, that’s what I did."

Badosa will now have to overturn Kasatkina for a spot in the final, an opponent she has lost against in two of their past three meetings. The Russian was the first player to qualify for the semis after her 6-3 7-6(3) victory over Petra Kvitova.

"I'm really happy with my performance and the way I was able to keep my focus in the tie-break," said Kasatkina said after her win.

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