Paula Badosa remains firm in Rome, defeats Kostyuk and is already in the round of 16 – Spain’s News

The Spanish Paula Badosa She exhibited herself in the third round of the WTA 1,000 in Rome, in which, based on physical superiority and packaging in difficult moments, she knocked down the Ukrainian Martha Kostyuk in two sets, 6-4 and 6-2, in just over an hour and a half.

Follow the good moment of Paula Badosa on the clay of the Foro Italico that extends her good run of the last month. In Rome she already eliminated the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, one of the favourites, with another great match. This time Badosa’s start was not as strong as in the last round. The Ukrainian started very solid, printing a lot of power on her forehands and forcing a Badosa to play from very deep, who gave up her serve and had to save a breaking point in the second to avoid making it 3-0.

The battle was evenly matched and Badosa had it in his power to restore the score with a ‘break’, but he could not finalize the game despite the three balls he had to do so. Unforced errors from the back of the track prevented it. A blow that more than discouraged the Spanish, gave a lot of strength to a Kostyuk who, yes, shortly after became smaller and smaller against this version of Badosa who knows how to better manage the complicated moments of the matches, without ceasing to be one hundred percent concentrated on point to point, reminiscent of last year.

That’s why when he had the opportunity he took advantage of it. This time she did not let a Kostyuk escape against the ropes and, although she needed four ‘break’ balls, she broke the Ukrainian.

He celebrated with his fist raised, aware that the game had changed radically. He was already inside with 3-3. And it didn’t matter that the Ukrainian broke again, because Badosa did it on her next two serves, already much better at the end of the set (6-4).

strange match

In the second set, Badosa once again made clear his intentions to close the game as soon as possible and, showing his great form, dominated a long exchange of blows that gave him the first break (2-0). Then began a strange moment of the game in which none could impose his serve and the ‘breaks’ were distributed until the seventh game, in which Badosa finished with the tonic and maintained the service. With the score at 4-2 in favor of the Catalan, with two ceded serves and but with three ‘breaks’ in her favour, Badosa ended the game and her rival.

He became strong in the background and managed to be effective with his rights to certify the break and direct a victory that came in the next game, in which this time he did not need more than a ‘break’ opportunity to smile with his fist raised and celebrate a well-deserved victory with which she enters the round of 16, a round that she already reached in Madrid and that she will play against the Czech Karoline Muchova, number 52 in the ranking.