"This one means more than a trophy" - Back to winning ways: Paula Badosa overjoyed after clinching WTA 125 title

For all the troubles and injury problems that she has gone through, a WTA 125 title means the world for Paula Badosa who is back in the winning enclosure following her triumph at the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden, after defeating the number four seed Simona Waltert 7-5, 7-5.

The Spaniard is a former world number two and had been one of the best players in the world at one point. This is all a distance memory with constant injury setbacks seeing her firmly planted on the sidelines.

The physical and emotional toll was devastating for her, but she has continued to battle on, and it is paying dividends. She made the switch from grass back to clay following an early exit at Wimbledon against Emma Navarro in a comeback defeat. Beforehand she had made the quarter-finals of the Berlin Ladies Open, losing to the eventual champion Linda Noskova.

Now playing a bit more consistently on court, she used that as momentum in her title run in Sweden. She posted herself posting with the trophy shaped like a tennis ball while captioning it with: "This one means more than a trophy… thanks to everyone for the support I get through this journey."

Badosa showed her class on court, not dropping a set in the process. The 28-year-old started off with a 6-3, 6-2 win over fellow countrywoman Marina Bassols Ribera. Off the mark, she replicated that score against Emiliana Arango before edging Varvara Lepchenko in a very closely fought 7-5, 7-6(3) scoreline.

Into the semi-finals, a familiar name in the form of Yulia Putintseva was her next task. Expertly, she demolished the number three seed 6-1, 6-2 to set up a final showdown against Waltert.

Waltert was the one to take the initiative early on. She broke the serve enroute to a 4-2 lead, but Badosa responded. She won the next three games and led 5-4. A tiebreak looked imminent before Badosa went 30-40 ahead, converting her first set point.

The former Indian Wells champion was the first to break serve in the second set but immediately was pegged back by Waltert who was looking to make a game of this. Badosa again led 6-5 with the worst she could hope for a tiebreak.

This would not be needed. She won the final four points of the match and won the title. It is a huge step in the right direction for her confidence, and the fact that she went through an entire tournament with no injury problems and consistent performances. With the North American hardcourt swing coming up, Badosa will hope to perform in the big tournaments over in the States with her ranking boosted up from 141st to 115th, a 26-position rise.