Badosa's ticket to the US Open goes through the WTA Iasi

Paula Badosa always comes back. After a very irregular clay court season where she decided to stop after the Mutua Madrid Open, therefore giving up on playing the WTA 1000 in Rome and the qualifying rounds of Roland Garros, the Spaniard focused all her efforts on the grass court swing. She managed to reach the quarterfinals again at the WTA Berlin, but made an early exit at Wimbledon, forcing her to compete at the WTA 125 in Bastad to regain ranking points and claim her first title since 2024. Despite this, the Catalan remains outside the Top 100 just days before the US Open entry deadline.

Having overcome injuries and rediscovered her form, Badosa's next goal is to gradually climb back up the WTA rankings. The first step is to return to the Top 100, as she currently sits at 115th place with 670 points.

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This is what Paula Badosa needs to do to re-enter the Top 100 of the WTA rankings and play the US Open

Reentering the top 100 rankings also secures Badosa a spot in the main draw of the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year. However, time is running out as the entry list for the New York tournament closes on Monday, July 20th. Therefore, Badosa needs a strong performance at the WTA 125 in Iasi.

There's no need to panic though, as the Spanish player arrives in great form, having just won the WTA 125 in Bastad. The math is simple: Badosa is currently 79 points behind the player at the bottom of the Top 100, Anastasia Zakharova. So, at least, she would need to reach the final of the Romanian tournament (worth 81 points) to break back into the top 100, while winning the title would almost guarantee her spot in the US Open main draw.

The question now is whether Badosa's body, constantly struggling with injuries, can withstand two weeks of high-level tennis, coupled with the pressure of reaching the final. As for her potential opponents, she will face the fourth seed Anhelina Kalinina in the opening match, and could meet Dominika Salkova in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, her potential rivals are Panna Udvardy or Simona Waltert, the latter she defeated in the Bastad final. Moving to a hypothetical semifinal, she could encounter Petra Marcinko, Anna Bondar, or Emiliana Arango. In the final, she might face the top favorite, Jacqueline Cristian, or Elsa Jacquemot.

The tournament in Rome will also feature two other players: Kaitlin Quevedo in the top half of the draw, and Sara Sorribes, who could potentially meet Badosa in the quarterfinals.

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So, this is the path that Paula Badosa must take to return to the Top 100 of the WTA ranking and qualify for the main draw of a US Open that she missed last year due to injury. The opportunity comes at a great moment for a resilient Badosa. 
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El billete de Badosa para el US Open pasa por el WTA Iasi