Both Paula Badosa and Daria Kasatkina played a very strong Sydney event so far but when they clashed head to head the Spaniard was clearly the better player. Badosa employs a very hard-hitting and precise game which is very similar to Kasatkina but today the Spaniard was clearly better. Kasatkina was left frustrated quite a few times unable to comprehend some of the shos Badosa hit.
In the first set, it was clear that Badosa was having her day and how hard it would be for Kasatkian to overcome that. The Spaniard took a 2-0 lead and then a 4-0 lead after which Kasatkina was able to pull one back 4-1. In the end, it did not matter much as Badosa cruised to a 6-2 first set finish. Kasatkina really struggled with her 2nd serve winning only 2 of 8 points and that's was too much to overcome.
Things did not change in the 2nd set by much as the Spaniard continued playing great while Kasatkina's frustrations grew stronger by the minute. She tried several different approaches but none worked consistently as Badosa was simply too good. It's hard arguing that anybody would have beaten Badosa today. In the end, she cruised to another 6-2 finish.