Badosa starts off on the wrong foot in her new phase without Pol Toledo

Paula Badosa arrived at the WTA 250 Osaka 2026 with the hope of adding victories to boost her ranking, restore her confidence, and allow her to end the year in the best possible way. The media buzz generated by her professional breakup with Pol Toledo is still lingering, and starting this new phase with a loss of 3-6 6-4 6-3 to Antonia Ruzic, currently ranked 91 in the world, is not good news.

The Asian tour Badosa has just joined will have two new episodes, in which the Spaniard hopes to show a better version of herself. The tournaments in Guangzhou and Hong Kong will conclude a season filled with ups and downs, both in terms of tennis and physical conditions. Paula even fell out of the top-100, came back with some good weeks in the summer, and laid the groundwork for a potential return to the upper part of the rankings.

Badosa will play in Guangzhou and Hong Kong before the end of the season

Settled in the 61st position in the WTA ranking, the Spaniard had set a possible goal of breaking into the top 32 in the coming months, aiming to enter the 2027 Australian Open as a seeded player. This defeat significantly complicates that objective and raises some doubts for a Paula who will need to find a coach soon.

Having a coach who understands her idiosyncrasies and initiates a new project in the professional career of the New York-born player could be the necessary spark for us to see Paula Badosa competing for major titles again soon. This loss in Osaka hurts, but it could serve as motivation to elevate her performance in upcoming events.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Badosa empieza con mal pie su nueva etapa sin Pol Toledo