Aryna Sabalenka eased through in straight sets against Paula Badosa, her best friend at Roland Garros. But it could've been very much different as Badosa had a golden opportunity in the first set, when she was able to serve to take it, she finally fell to the Belarusian by 5-7, 1-6.
In the first set, Badosa started with a break against Sabalenka. However, the Spaniard managed to react immediately by returning the tie to the scoreboard with another break. Then, Paula saved four break points to make it 2-1. At 3-2, she got a new break to take a 4-2 lead. Although the Belarusian reacted with a break, the Spaniard again struck a blow to Sabalenka's serve and went 5-3 up with a chance to win the set on her serve.
However, Badosa was to miss what was the best opportunity of the match for her to win a set. Sabalenka broke the Spaniard's serve. After confirming the break, she claimed another break to go 5-6 up and serve to win the first set. Unlike Badosa at the time, Sabalenka did not give any extra chances to the Spaniard and took the opening set by 5-7.
The second set started with the same problems for Paula Badosa. After being 5-3 up in the first set, the Spaniard had not managed to win any game. That streak was to be prolonged by Aryna Sabalenka with a new break that put her 0-1 up. Although she had a break chance, Badosa was out of the match since that 5-3 of the first set. Sabalenka confirmed the previous break with the 0-2 to immediately after add a new break, this time with a game in white.
If the 0-3 did not seem definitive already, the 0-4 after confirming the break left Aryna Sabalenka with a foot and a half in the round of 16 at Roland Garros. Badosa then got a game back to avoid a potential bagel. The Belarusian was still firm with her serve, and made it 1-5 without any problems. In the end, Sabalenka closed the set and the match with a last break, 1-6.
In the round of 16, Sabalenka will face the winner of the American duel between Madison Keys and Emma Navarro.
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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