Paula Badosa was forced to retire from her semi-final match at the 2024 Ningbo Open against Daria Kasatkina.
The WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo, which was marked by multiple withdrawals of the seeded players, which meant that a total of seven lucky losers had to step in, was marked by yet another retirement.
The eighth-seeded Badosa clashed with the fifth-seeded Kasatkina in the semi-final match of the last two seeded players remaining at the event. It seemed like the weather didn't want to allow for the match to happen, as it was suspended multiple times.
The first time the match was suspended was already after the first game of play, which Badosa won. The players then returned and left a couple more times as both struggled to find some rhythm.
After they returned at 4-3 for the Spanish player, Badosa was seemingly struggling to stay competitive, maybe also because of the frequent weather chances and having to come on and off the court.
After losing the first set 4-6, she had her blood pressure checked, after which she decided to retire from the match, sending the Kasatkina into the final of the 2024 Ningbo Open.
While it wasn't the win that she wanted to record, Kasatkina, who will return to the Top 10 next week, will certainly be happy about ending her season by having a chance to play for a WTA 500 title.
In the final, the Russian player will await the winner of the second semi-final match, which will be contested between Karolina Muchova, who knows her bit about having to retire from tennis matches, and teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva, who got into the semi-final after Barbora Krejcikova's retirement in the quarter-final.
It might be Krejcikova's retirement that might prove as a great motivation for Kasatkina, who, despite being the 10th player in the 2024 WTA Race, might still make it to the 2024 WTA Finals.
This year, only seven players will make it to the year-end championship based on the WTA Race ranking, as Krejcikova, ranked 12th at the moment, qualified thanks to winning the Wimbledon Championships.
However, Kasatkina will still be hopeful of making it to the tournament despite the eight participants being already set. Krejcikova's retirement is just the latest in the long list of injuries that her rivals have been troubled by.
By her win in the semi-finals in Ningbo, Kasatkina secured the ninth place in the WTA Race, with Emma Navarro being eighth. The American player withdrew from multiple tournaments because of injuries, so the first alternate spot could go to Kasatkina, and if Krejcikova is forced to withdraw, she could make it to Riyadh.
At the moment, however, she's certainly not thinking about that. Following the match, the Russian player was just happy to get through, especially playing in front of the Chinese crowd.
"The crowd is amazing. Honestly, I feel so welcome here, every time I step on the court. Thank you so much guys, it's amazing. I don't have many places where I feel like that, so thank you very much for this very warm welcome every time I step on the court, and outside of the court as well."
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