Paula Badosa vs Stefanos Tsitsipas: Tennis couple's competition in the rankings heats up as Spaniard makes China Open SF
Tennis couple Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas seem to be inching closer to securing a place at their respective year-end finals. The Spaniard's current run at the China Open has helped her rise the ranks significantly, whereas, the Greek needs to find his rhythm back during the Asian swing in order to confirm a place at the Nitto ATP Final.
Badosa, who had been dealing with a stress fracture over the last couple of years, struggled during the initial half of the season. She had to pull out from many tournaments and also retire from matches. However, something seemed to have clicked for her during Wimbledon where she made it to the fourth round.
She took her form into the North American hard-court swing, where she clinched the Mubadala Citi DC Open and followed it up with some deep runs at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
The 26-year-old seems to be back to her best and has made it to the semifinals of the China Open. She defeated the likes of Viktoriya Tomova, Rebecca Sramkova, second seed Jessica Pegula, and Zhang Shuai. She hasn't dropped a single set so far and even managed to get a bagel (6-0) on Pegula.
Paula Badosa is currently 11th in the WTA Finals race with 2715 points. A triumph at the China Open will see her finishing eighth eclipsing Zheng Qinwen, Danielle Collins, and Daria Kasatkina. Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have booked their tickets to the finals.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas had a strong season till the European Clay swing where he won the Monte-Carlo Masters. Since then, he seemed to be struggling with his form, which went from bad to worse during the North American hard-court swing. The Greek won just one match and then, faced a shocking first-round exit to Alex Michelsen at the Japan Open.
Tsitsipas is currently competing in the Shanghai Masters and will need deep runs in the remaining tournaments, which includes the Paris Masters to clinch a place in the Nitto ATP Finals.
He is currently placed 12th with 2735 points. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev have secured their places.
Paula Badosa will face Coco Gauff in the 2024 China Open SF, as Stefanos Tsitsipas kicks off his Shanghai Masters campaign against Kei Nishikori
15th seed Paula Badosa will face fourth seed Coco Gauff in the semifinal of the China Open. The Spaniard holds a 3-2 lead over the American in their matchups so far.
Much like Badosa, Gauff has also been playing some phenomenal tennis. She came back from a set down in her quarterfinals to oust Yuliia Starodubtseva 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.
On the other hand, Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded 10th, received a bye in the opening round of the Shanghai Masters due to his seeding. He has kicked off his tournament against veteran Kei Nishikori. Interestingly, the Japanese had just defeated the Greek in the second round of the Canadian Masters.
The winner of their match will face Alexandre Muller in the third round.