Badosa reaches maiden WTA 1000 final at BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells, set to face Azarenka
WTASaturday, 16 October 2021 at 08:35
The final is officially set at BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells with Paula Badosa becoming the first Spanish woman in 25 years to reach the final in the Californian desert.
Badosa stormed past Ons Jabeur on Friday night in a 6-3, 6-3 triumph and will now face two-time champion, Victoria Azarenka who continued her resurgence with victory over Jelena Ostapenko to reach her first final of the season.
It is a first WTA 1000 final for Badosa who has just lost one set en route to setting up the tie with the Belarusian ace. So far this week she has defeated Dayana Yastremska, Coco Gauff, Barbora Krejcikova, Angelique Kerber and finally the Tunisian who herself has broke new ground this weekend becoming the first Arab player to reach the top 10.
But in their semi-final, it was all Badosa who started with an immediate break of serve to go 2-0 up. Jabeur closed the deficit but Badosa was patient and reeled off the last three games of the set to go one away.
The second set was decided by only one break of serve with Badosa claiming it on her second break point at 4-2. She had chances to break for a fifth time and claim it at 5-2 but Jabeur herself was resilient and saved three match points in dramatic fashion and stayed within a break.
But drama was still set as Badosa was 0-40 down, only to save all three break points and claim it on her seventh match point.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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