Paula Badosa lashes out at 'haters' after US Open 2024 QF loss - "I couldn't care less"
Paula Badosa has hit out at 'haters' after her 2024 US Open quarterfinal loss to Emma Navarro. The Spaniard lost the first set but led 5-1 in the second before letting the lead slip to lose the match. She called it a 'tough' situation but lamented that there was nothing she could do besides learning from it.
On Tuesday, September 3, Badosa and Navarro played their first-ever US Open quarterfinals at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. 13th seed Navarro was faster off the blocks and broke 26th seed Badosa twice in the first set to win it 6-2.
In the second set, the Spaniard was in cruise control as she took a 5-1 lead. A deciding set loomed large but Navarro made it 5-2 and did not look back from there. She won the next five games in a row to win the set and advance to the semifinals where she will face Aryna Sabalenka.
Badosa took to Instagram on September 4 to reflect on what happened the previous day. She thanked her supporters, while lashing out at the haters.
"Yesterday was really tough. Really sad about it. Nothing I can do besides learn from it. One thing that identifies me is that I'll always fight and try again," Paula Badosa wrote on her Instagram Story.
"So... here we go again. thank you for the immense support I always have from you guys, it's amazing! It gives me so much strength to keep working and improving. and to all the haters I wouldn't lose much time with me because I couldn't care less," she added.
"It's very weird for me because I'm quite a consistent player" - Paula Badosa on letting her lead slip in US Open 2024 QF
Emma Navarro won 24 out of 28 points when she won six games in a row to capture the second set and oust Paula Badosa from the 2024 US Open. During her post-match press conference, the Spaniard said it was the first time she had lost a set in that manner, and unfortunately, it happened to her that day.
Further, she was lost for words to explain the situation. She claimed it was 'weird' because she was a consistent player.
"I don't know. I still need to think what happened, because I had two service games there also. I started to miss. I lost, I don't know, 20 points almost in a row. It's very weird for me because I'm quite a consistent player, so I wasn't expecting that either. I’m quite disappointed,” Badosa said.
The 26-year-old said despite holding the lead, she never felt the momentum was in her favor. In contrast, Navarro shared during her on-court interview that when she made it 5-2, she felt she could complete the comeback.