Spain’s Paula Badosa won 7-6 (4) 6-4 at Maria Sakkari at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico on November 3 and advanced to the semi-finals with two wins in two Group Chichen Itza matches after Aryna Sabalenka. to know Iga Swiatek.

Facing one of the WTA Tour fighters, the seventh-seeded Badosa showed he could also play grit for two hours, four minutes on a Mexican fire, adding to his victory by eight matches.

Badosa blew 10 acres through his Greek opponent and forced him, turning three of 12 shots. Sakkari could not always find the mark, making 49 unforgettable mistakes compared to only 22 from Badosa.

“I suffered but I know I will meet a player like Maria, who is a good fighter,” said Badosa, who will be celebrating her 24th birthday on November 15.

“I think the secret was to beat it again, I’m just like him, I like to compete.

“I was supposed to be very aggressive but here it is difficult because of its height. I became aggressive and looked and fought a lot and I think that was a game plan.”

Sakkari emphasized his battle history, leading back from 5-2 down in the first set to force him to move on.

But the fourth seed quickly lost power as Badosa thrashed 4-0 on the road to a 7-4 breakdown.

Badosa rallied again, securing a break to jump ahead 2-1.

Shaking Sakkari had to dig deep to avoid falling into a large hole, fighting for six minutes before working out 3-2.

Sakkari eventually got the break time he needed to reach 4-4 but Badosa came back, then finished the game, winning his third point with a winner at the back.

SABALENKA WAS OVERWHELMED BY SWIATEK

Badosa’s victory did not give them a chance to win in the semi-finals, but they did win as a team winner after top-seeded Sabalenka battled it out to beat Swiatek 2-6 6-2 7-5 later on November 13.

Swiatek, the French Open 2020 champion, got off to a good start and broke twice in the opening game as the Belarusian star struggled for his first job.

But Sabalenka returned to contention in the second set and was boosted by the crowd as he found his team in the playoffs and won five games in a row, saving three free points in the final game to make the decision.

The pair closed out 5-5 in the third when Sabalenka broke into Swiatek and served to oust the 20-year-old Poland international.

“Guys, you’re amazing, I’ve never felt better in court, I’ve never heard of such support from the crowd,” Sabalenka said in a post-match interview with the crowd.

“I think this victory is due to you. You gave me this strength, the motivation to keep fighting and I love you guys.”

The final team match between Sabalenka and Sakkari on Monday will select the second finalist in the group.