Paula Badosa extinguishes Laura Siegemund in Miami heater after hitting with ballperson during MTO
The Spaniard overcame a gritty opponent—and a combined 25 minutes of match delays—to launch her Miami Open bid Thursday.
When Paula Badosa took the court Thursday for her Miami Open match with Laura Siegemund, the temperature was just under 80 degrees °F. By the time the third set rolled around, it may as well have been triple digits.
After winning the opening set, 7-6 (2), Badosa was forced to wait nearly 11 minutes when the German left the court. Though she laughed it off, things turned more serious as Siegemund hit back by grabbing set two, 6-4.
Up 2-0 to start the decider, Badosa was pushed by her opponent in the longest game of the clash. Every time she held game point, Siegemund seemingly clawed back. Here’s what went down the rest of the way:
The No. 21 seed scored her first tour-level victory over Siegemund, who previously claimed their fourth-round meeting at 2020 Roland Garros.
A year ago, Badosa arrived at the 1000-level event as the world No. 7, advancing to the quarterfinals. An illness forced Badosa to retire five games into her clash with Jessica Pegula.
In the third round, the now 29th-ranked Badosa could get a shot at avenging her Indian Wells defeat to eventual champion Elena Rybakina if the No. 10 seed advances past Anna Kalinskaya. Rybakina and Badosa also teamed up at the BNP Paribas Open, falling in their opener.