Badosa eases past Kudermetova at the Madrid Open

Paula Badosa admitted to having a lot of pressure ahead of the 2022 Madrid Open as the essentially top seed following Iga Swiatek's withdrawal, but she started well.

Veronika Kudermetova is a strong player who has been having a terrific year so far. She was coming off a final at the WTA 250 event in Istanbul, in which she lost to compatriot Anastasia Potapova, 3-6, 1-6.

However, in Madrid, the Russian was thoroughly outplayed by Badosa, who truly played like the second-best player in the world. It was a bit of a slow start for the Spaniard as she allowed her opponent an early break point, but she recovered it with some strong serving.

Badosa has a great serve, and that also wins her many free points. The indoor conditions in Madrid certainly proved to be a huge advantage in this match. She dropped only a handful of points, but what proved crucial was the five break points she saved. Most of them came after a strong serve.

Kudermetova, on the other hand, had fewer issues on her own serve, but she allowed herself to get broken. The Spanish player needed only one break point, and it proved crucial.

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The Spaniard's confidence skyrocketed after that as she rolled past Kudermetova in the second set. It was 4-0 very quickly, with Badosa not dropping a single point on serve.

On the return, she created a lot of damage, and the Russian had no answer. She added another break and won the second set with a bagel, not dropping a single point on her serve in that set.

That meant a simple 6-3, 6-0 win for Badosa, who will face a challenging test in the tournament's second round. Simona Halep is unseeded, creating a situation in which Badosa will meet the Romanian, who cruised through her first-round match at the WTA 1000 tournament in the Spanish capital.

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