Paula Badosa has endured a difficult couple of years due to injuries, meaning her first final in over two years at the Citi Open was an emotional affair.
There have been some positive signs for Badosa this year since she returned from a serious injury that kept her out for most of 2023. Two examples are the victories she managed against Katie Boulter and Yulia Putintseva at the French Open.
The Spaniard made further progress at Wimbledon by beating Karolina Muchova and this year's Eastbourne International champion Daria Kasatkina before narrowly losing to the recent Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic in the round of 16.
However, everything came together for Badosa at the Citi Open in Washington. She overcame Sofia Kenin in the opening round 6-1 7-6. The former French Open quarterfinalist then benefited from Liudmila Sasmsonova retiring in the following round.
Badosa's quarterfinal against Emma Raducanu was one of the matches of the tournament. Saving a match point in the third set was not enough for the Briton, and Badosa prevailed 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 after a thrilling battle.
The 26-year-old's place in the final was secured by defeating Caroline Dolehide in straight sets. That set up a meeting with the gritty Czech Marie Bouzkova, who had beaten Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal.
Badosa and Bouzkova's final was an epic battle. The Spaniard easily took the opening set 6-1. However, Bouzkova upped her game after a rain delay to win a high-quality second set 6-4. Another break due to rain followed in the early stages of the third set.
Before the rain delay, Bouzkova looked the favorite to win against a clearly rattled Badosa, but the former world No. 2 was more composed after the break. She eventually lifted the title after a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 win.
Badosa spoke after the match about how emotional she was during the second rain delay, admitting she was constantly crying in the locker room when she initially left the court.
"I came out of the court [after the second set] crying so much. Really, I couldn't stop crying. My team didn't know what to do because I just cried non-stop... I think that also helped me a bit to release my emotions because I was really, really nervous."
The Spaniard's tears continued for a considerable period. However, Badosa outlined how she calmed down after that and realized it was just one set she needed to try her hardest in.
"Then after crying, like, I don't know how much time... I calmed down. I changed. I'm like, 'Paula, it's a set, just give everything you can'... It worked pretty well. I took my opportunities. Look, I'm very proud of how I dealt with it."
This is a refreshingly honest account of Badosa's emotions. She always wears her heart on her sleeve, and crying during such a tense moment in her first final in over two years was understandable.
Badosa did superbly to calm herself down after those tears. Although she thanked her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas after the triumph, this is her success, which she worked so hard for and will undoubtedly cherish.
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