Badosa sees the light in Bastad and thinks about the US Open

Paula Badosa continues to make the most of her time at the WTA 125 in Bastad. The Spaniard advanced to the quarterfinals after a convincing victory over Emiliana Arango with a score of 6-3, 6-2, confirming the good feelings she had already shown in her debut against Marina Bassols.

Beyond the result, this week is crucial for the Catalan player. Her main goal is to return to the main draw of the US Open without having to go through qualifying, a mission that involves accumulating matches, regaining confidence, and climbing the WTA rankings.

The victory over Arango brings her closer to that objective. Badosa started the tournament ranked 141st in the world and, thanks to the points earned in Bastad, she is now virtually in 128th place on the ranking. There is still a long way to go, but the feelings are increasingly positive.

Badosa aims to return to the top 100 soon and secure her place in the 2026 US Open main draw

Moreover, there is still significant room for improvement. If she were to win the title in Sweden, the Spaniard would move to around 115th place in the WTA rankings, a significant boost towards the end of the entry list for the last Grand Slam of the season.

On the court, Badosa once again displayed solid and dominant play from the baseline, controlling the pace of the match and not giving Arango many opportunities. The former world number two seems to be finding the continuity she desperately needed after a season heavily impacted by physical issues.

Her next challenge will be the veteran Varvara Lepchenko, a new test for Badosa who has turned Bastad into a real race against time towards New York. Each victory is worth much more than a simple progression to the next round: it signifies another step towards regaining her competitive status and the chance to once again compete in a Grand Slam from the main draw.