Photo Source: TC
When it comes to the back injury that curtailed her career and has put the kibosh on her progress, Paula Badosa is never really out of the woods.
That became painfully apparent once again on Friday as the Spaniard was forced to pull out of her quarterfinal with Daria Saville when her back seized up on her in the second set. She had trouble moving – let alone playing – and was reduced to pitching in an underarm serve in the final game she would play. Badosa pulled the plug and retired after dominating the opening set 1-6, 5-3 Ret. “I feel kind of sick [about it],” Saville said after her win, showing empathy for Badosa’s tough situation.
Badosa originally suffered a stress fracture in her lower back in 2023, and has had difficulty regaining her fitness. Doctors told the former World No.2 last year that she would need regular cortisone injections in her back if she wanted to carry on playing. She decided to push through, and has found good health recently.
She reached the quarterfinals at the US Open last year and the semifinals at the Australian Open in January – clear indication that she can be elite when she is healthy – and entered this week at No.11 in the world.
In other action in Merida, top-seeded Emma Navarro reached the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey, while Elina Avenesyan defeated Maya Joint 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
Qualifier Emiliana Arango topped Rebecca Sramkova and will face Saville in the semifinals.