DC Open: Resurgent Badosa Reaches First 2024 Final At Washington

Paula Badosa, DC Open, Washington
Paula Badosa (photo: Dakota Moyer)

WASHINGTON, August 4, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)

The comeback story for Paula Badosa keeps getting round by round, win by win. It’s been a long and winding road — at times a painful one — for the proud and compassionate player that has included being sidelined by a back injury and filled with plenty of self-doubt.

After reaching the women’s singles final of the Mubadala Citi DC Open with a solid 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 49 Caroline Dolehide of the United States, though, the 62nd-ranked wild card couldn’t help but smile and be emotional after the one-hour, 21-minute semifinal was completed.

“I’m really happy,” Badosa said during her post-match news conference. “I think today I played very good; I served very well. I played aggressively.

“It was a little bit windy, but I played very good even though the conditions.

“Really happy with my performance today.”

On Sunday, the New York-born Spaniard will play 43rd-ranked Czech Marie Bouzkova, who upset World No. 3 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in two hours and 12 minutes for the biggest win of her career.

The Sabalenka-Bouzkova match was suspended by thunderstorms and rain for three hours and 40 minutes, early in the third set. When it resumed, it was Bouzkova who was composed while Sabalenka was unsettled and showed no patience. Bouzkova outpointed Sabalenka 88-83.

A victory for the 26-year-old Badosa would reward her with her first WTA Tour singles title since 2022 at Sydney.

On another hot afternoon in the nation’s capital city (before thunderstorms arrived during the third set of the Sabalenka-Bouzkova semifinal and suspended play for more than three hours), Badosa and Dolehide, the last American in the women’s draw, pushed each other to their physical limits. To her credit, Badosa handled the severe, 91-degree Fahrenheit weather that permeated William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park better than could be expected.

Against Dolehide, Badosa won 89 percent of her first-serve points — dropping just three points — and saved all three break points she faced. She hit 20 winners, converted three of five break points and outpointed Dolehide 67-49.

Looking back, Badosa’s decision to skip the Paris Olympic Games event in order to save her last protected ranking entry for this month’s US Open is one that has proved rewarding. This week, in her tournament debut, she has defeated Sofia Kenin and Emma Raducanu — both former major champions — and won by retirement over No. 3 seed Liudmila Samsonova.

As recently as two months ago, Badosa found herself ranked outside the Top 100 — at No. 140 — looking at an uncertain future, just two years after climbing to World No. 2. However, she missed over six months of the 2023 season while dealing with back troubles and since then, it’s been a long journey climbing back up the WTA Rankings ladder.

Three tournaments this year, though – at Rome on clay, at Wimbledon on grass and, now, at Washington on hard courts – have been difference makers for Badosa. In Rome, she made a run to the round of 16, then made the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time in two years. This week, she has found her form and asserted some self-confidence – and the sold-out crowds have applauded her efforts.

“Finally, I play another final,” Badosa said. “It’s been a while. For me, the emotions are more that especially the beginning of the year, a year injured and everything, there was moments that was coming to my mind, ‘Am I going to be able to get back to the level I want to?’

“That was tough for me because my back wasn’t responding. Finally, it is. My body, I’m feeling now an athlete again.

Paula Badosa

Paula Badosa (photo: Mike Lawrence/Mubadala Citi DC Open)

“For me, it’s really emotional to be back in a final and to be fighting for titles.”

Regardless of Sunday’s title outcome, Badosa will climb back inside the Top 50 for the first time in a year. If she wins the DC Open crown, she would become the second wild card champion on the WTA Tour this season, after Jelena Ostapenko at Linz.

“Every morning when I wake up, I try to appreciate it,” Badosa said. “It’s tough sometimes because I’m very, like, perfectionist. But I’m trying to value every moment.

“Now it’s a final, so I need to try to enjoy it because, as I say, it’s been a while, more than a year almost, too, with a lot of struggles. I will try to enjoy as much as I can.”

Cobolli spoils all-American men’s singles final

World No. 14 Ben Shelton of the United States, the second seed in the Mubadala Citi DC Open, was upset by No. 10 seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy, ranked 48th, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, in their second career meeting Saturday night. It followed a lengthy, three-hour 40-minute rain delay that pushed back the start of the evening session and the match was moved to John Harris Court from the Stadium Court.

Earlier this year, Cobolli defeated then-No. 15 Shelton in the second round at Geneva on red clay en route to his first ATP Tour semifinal of his young career. Now playing in his second tour-level semifinal, the 21-year-old Cobolli joins Jannik Sinner in 2021 as the only Italian male finalists in the 55th edition of the Washington event.

“I’m really happy. I’m really proud of myself. It was a very tough match, a great battle. It’s always tough to play against Ben on this court, especially on hard court,” Cobolli said in his post-match news conference.

Cobolli hit 26 winners, converted three of five break points and withstood 12 aces from Shelton during their two-hour, four-minute match.

“This match give me a lot of energy. I’m tired, but I think I can make a good final. Of course, it would be a tough match, especially against Seb.”

Meanwhile, the other men’s singles semifinal, pitting No. 4 seed Sebastian Korda of the United States against fifth seed and fan favorite Frances Tiafoe, from nearby Hyattsville, Maryland, didn’t start until after 10:30 p.m., following the conclusion of the Aryna Sabalenka–Marie Bouzkova women’s singles semifinal, which was suspended earlier by rain.

Both players were impressive in their Friday evening quarterfinal wins – Korda against No. 7 seed Jordan Thompson of Australia and Tiafoe in his upset of World No. 8 and top seed Andrey Rublev of Russia, which advanced him to his first Washington semifinal in his eighth appearance.

Korda played the spoiler and beat Tiafoe, 6-4, 6-4, securing match point just after midnight of their one-hour, 25-minute tussle. He hit 12 aces, won 79 percent of his first-serve points and hit 29 winners while making just five unforced errors. The 22nd-ranked Korda outpointed Tiafoe 72-57.

“I tried to make it as boring and as normal as I possibly could. I didn’t want him to start getting everyone involved. Yeah, he’s a different player when he’s really feeling it,” Korda said in his post-match news conference. He will move back into the Top 20 next week.

“Yeah, I just kind of just tried to take care of my side of the court, didn’t try to do anything crazy. Just tried to play simple,” he added.

Tiafoe took the loss in stride. “You have to tip your cap sometimes,” he said. “Seb played incredible tonight. Returned really well, served really well. I didn’t really have many chances on his serve at all. He just put me under constant pressure. It was really tough for me tonight.”

Muhammad and Townsend win women’s doubles title

Top seeds Asia Muhammad and Taylor Townsend won four of six deciding points en route to defeating Jiang Xinyu and Wu Fang-Hsien of China, 7-6 (0), 6-3, to win the Mubadala Citi DC Open women’s doubles title Saturday afternoon.

Playing together for the first time this season, the 32nd-ranked Muhammad and No. 7 Townsend won their third career WTA Tour doubles crown together. It’s the third tour-level doubles title this season for Townsend – all with different partners.

After defeating Americans Hailey Baptiste and Peyton Stearns in the first round, Muhammad and Townsend advanced to the final via back-to-back walkovers. In the final, Muhammad and Townsend outpointed Jiang and Wu 70-56.

“We came out a little I don’t want to say tentative, but just not feeling our best. So, we had to really just figure some things out and try and stay positive, I mean, keep our energy really high,” Muhammad said. “It ended up working out for us.”

During the trophy ceremony, Townsend said: “It’s so special to be able to come here and to be able to see win the title – especially with a friend, Asia.

“We haven’t been on the court in a while together, but we figured it out. It’s amazing to share the trophy. I miss being on the same side together.”

Later, during their champion’s news conference, Townsend explained what makes her pairing with Muhammad such a formidable team.

“I think for us, we have played for so many years together. Asia and I are really good friends off the court. I think when we step on the court, it transfers,” Townsend said.

“There’s a comfortability level between us where we can kind of have conversations, be like, I’m playing terrible. Just be open and honest with each other to kind of be more vulnerable. That allows us to be free to have that communication.

“Today I think that showed in the match. Like, I wasn’t playing great, and Asia was playing great. She was holding us up. In the tiebreaker I was able to come through and we were able to play good tennis together.”

Around the Mubadala Citi DC Open

No. 8 seeds Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo of Brazil advanced to the men’s doubles final with a 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory over No. 6 seeds Sadio Doumbia of France and Hugo Nys of Monaco in one hour and 13 minutes. Matos and Melo outpointed their opponents 66-54.

On Sunday, Matos and Melo will face No. 4 seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow of the United States, who advanced to the title match via walkover win against No. 2 seeds Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell of Australia.

Saturday’s ATP results

Saturday’s WTA results

Sunday’s order of play

By the numbers

This is the first time since 2001 that three American men contested in the Washington semifinals, when Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and Andy Roddick reached the last four.

“Quotable …”

“It’s big. It’s big. Obviously, I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time, get in the weekend, get into the business end of the tournament.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a great thing I broke that streak. Obviously, I want more. I’m not really that ecstatic about it. I’m just happy I get another win here and another win in general. Every win right now is big for me. Kind of building me to go the right way. This is really good.”

— Frances Tiafoe of the United States and a Washington, D.C.-area native, during his Friday post-match news conference, on what it means to make it to the weekend of the Mubadala Citi DC Open.

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