Coco Gauff Eliminated from Australian Open as Paula Badosa Advances to Her First Grand Slam Semifinal
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World No. 3 Coco Gauff was eliminated from the 2025 Australian Open after suffering a defeat to Paula Badosa in the women's singles quarter-finals. Badosa, seeded 11th, triumphed over Gauff in straight sets with scores of 7-5 and 6-4, securing her place in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time. This victory made her the fourth Spanish woman to reach the semi-finals in a Grand Slam singles event. It took Badosa three attempts to surpass the quarter-final stage of a Grand Slam, having previously lost to Emma Navarro in the quarter-finals of the US Open.
Additionally, this marked Badosa's inaugural victory against a top-10 player in a Grand Slam tournament.
“It is an unbelievable moment. To overcome this and beat Coco, who was playing incredible tennis at the start, was amazing,” Badosa remarked, visibly striving to manage her emotions.
Badosa is set to compete against either two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who will play later, for a chance to reach the final at Melbourne Park.
In her match at the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, Badosa demonstrated superior performance on the second serve, achieving a win percentage of 68, in contrast to Gauff's 44. Additionally, she excelled in attacking Gauff's serve, earning 10 break points and successfully converting four of them.
Gauff, the third seed, had maintained an unbeaten streak in nine matches this season but faced her first set loss of 2025 against Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic in the round of 16, and she encountered a formidable opponent in Badosa.
The 20-year-old former US Open champion was immediately pressured in the first set by Badosa's aggressive play, which established the match's momentum.
At 5-5 and 30-40, Gauff was serving when Badosa seized the opportunity on her third break-point chance, ultimately taking the first set in 56 minutes.
Uncharacteristically, Gauff did not create any break points in the first set and struggled with unforced errors throughout her game.
Badosa continued her relentless approach at the beginning of the second set, engaging in a lengthy first game that lasted 14 minutes and featured eight deuces.
Although Gauff saved four break points, she could not withstand a fifth, resulting in another service loss as she sent the ball long.
A powerful running forehand winner and a backhand at the net allowed Gauff to get on the scoreboard and regain momentum, breaking back to level the match at 2-2.
However, Badosa quickly responded with two additional breaks, ultimately securing the match in 1 hour and 43 minutes. She celebrated on the court, marking her first victory over a top-10 opponent at a Grand Slam after four attempts.
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