Paula Badosa arrived at Wimbledon with more questions than answers, and she quickly dispelled some doubts by taking a straight-sets victory over American Alison Riske with decisive 6-3, 6-3 scores. The win offered a blueprint for a Grand Slam campaign that, in the past, had seen her reach the 16th round but rarely go deeper. This time, the result was a confidence boost built on the kind of performance that can set a player on a steadier path through the all-English grass season. [Source: Reuters]
Spanish tennis players have faced a rough run of late, with a back injury shadowing Badosa after the Rome tournament, an issue that raised concerns about her form ahead of Roland Garros and the Paris Grand Slam. The setback forced her to miss Paris and to pause a rehearsal lap on the turf in London. Yet she approached the All England Club with a candid mindset, admitting that she wasn’t operating at 100 percent. Still, it did not stop her from advancing past a fractured opponent who had little room to breathe on a court that has often rewarded aggressive accuracy and rhythm.
The American competitor had not recorded an official win since the closing stages of the last US Open, adding pressure to a match that could determine whether Badosa could translate recent training into tournament-grade performance. The Spaniard claimed the kind of victory that gives a player options for the rest of the fortnight. The previous edition saw her reach the quarterfinals before losing to Simona Halep, and this year she has already overcome multiple Grand Slam champions such as Petra Kvitova. The question on everyone’s mind is where her ceiling sits in this event. [Source: Reuters]
Badosa will face Marta Kostyuk in the next round, a rising Ukrainian player who has already claimed a remarkable win by defeating Maria Sakkari, the tournament’s eighth seed, in a three-set thriller. This will be the fourth meeting between the two players, with past encounters at the 2019 and 2022 Australian Opens and the 2023 Rome event, all of which have seen Badosa come out on top. Kostyuk’s form promises a stern test, but the balance of history tips in favor of the Spaniard as the match looms. [Source: Reuters]