American third seed, Coco Gauff, has crashed out of the Australian Open following a straight-set loss to -Italy’s Paula Badosa at the quarter-final stage in Melbourne.
Gauff went into the clash with 11th seed Badosa on a 13-match winning streak and had dropped only one set, but it was the Spaniard who came out on top in a 7-5 6-4 victory.
Badosa makes it to her first ever last four appearance at a Grand Slam, improving on her quarter-final finish at the US Open last year and marking a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the Spaniard.
She had been dealing with back problems – including a stress fracture in her spine – for two years, dropped out of the top 100 in the rankings, and considered retirement in 2024 until her strong finish to the season changed her mind.
“I’m a bit emotional – as you know, I’m a very emotional person,” Badosa said after beating Gauff. “I’ve been through a lot. I was in the past one of the best players in the world but I think now I’m a better player.”
She will meet defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or Russian star Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the last four.