Paula Badosa is heading to London after suffering a surprising loss at the 2024 Bad Homburg Open against Diana Shnaider, who had also given her trouble in the past.
This matchup has been favored by the draws this year, as this was the fourth time the two met this year on the WTA Tour. Their first match was played in Hua Hin, and it went the way of the Russian, as Badosa had to retire in the second set after dealing with an injury.
The Spaniard got her revenge in Stuttgart, beating Shnaider in two simple sets. The next meeting was at the Italian Open, and once again, Badosa proved better, beating her opponent in three sets.
This fourth match didn't go the Spaniard's way, as Shnaider played a good match to outlast her in two sets. It was a complicated match because rain stopped it midway through, which cut Shnaider's momentum a little bit.
The opening set was competitive as both players had a chance, but the Russian handled the crucial moments better. The score in the opening set was 6-3, as Badosa struggled to keep herself in the rallies against her opponent.
She did better in the second set, but the Russian still came out on top. An early lead didn't mean much because the rain stopped play, so they had to come back some two hours later.
The Russian lost the momentum, which nearly turned the match around. Badosa had a break chance at 4-4 to take a 5-4 lead, but Shnaider held and then created a match point chance, which was unused.
The second set ended up in a tie-break, and Shnaider played better again, scoring a 7-3 win to win the match 6-3, 7-6(3) and reach the 2024 Bad Homburg Open semi-finals. Badosa, on the other hand, will now head to Wimbledon.
0 Comments