Badosa needs 9 match points to defeat Kasatkina and will now face Gauff

What it has cost for Paula Badosa to reach the second round of the US Open. The Spaniard completed her victory over Daria Kasatkina (6-1, 6-4) this Wednesday in a match that began yesterday and had to be suspended due to rain when the Catalan was on the verge of triumph. The resumption, however, had much more excitement than expected: Badosa needed to play ten points and close the match on her ninth match point.

The Spaniard had let slip three opportunities to finish the match on Tuesday. At 5-3 in the second set, she had two match points on return, but Kasatkina managed to save them. Then, at 5-4 and 40-30, Badosa had a third chance on her serve. She could not take advantage of it either, and the match ended up being suspended at 40-40, just two points away from victory for the Spaniard.

The resumption this afternoon turned what seemed like a simple formality into a small exercise in survival. Badosa returned to court 17 with the match completely open at that game and had to fight for every point against a Kasatkina who was reluctant to bid farewell to the tournament. Finally, after ten points played, the Spaniard managed to find the solution. Badosa needed nine match points to finally close the match, putting an end to a situation that had dragged on for nearly 24 hours due to rain.

The victory also represents a good boost for Badosa, who was returning to competition after more than a month without playing and needed to regain her feelings on the court. The reward for overcoming Kasatkina will be significant. Badosa will face Coco Gauff, the fourth seed and one of the top favorites for the title, tomorrow in the second round. The American comes after defeating Zeynep Sonmez (6-3, 6-4) and with the momentum of having lifted the title in Cincinnati just a week ago.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Badosa necesita 9 bolas de partido para ganar Kasatkina y ahora se cita con Gauff