“She’s a great runner; she’s aggressive; she has everything to to be a great champion” - Paula Badosa on Coco Gauff
Paula Badosa was all praise for Coco Gauff after beating the teenager on Friday to book her a place in the last four at the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose.
Badosa, 24, made it through to her fourth semifinal of the year after beating Gauff in straight sets. After a competitive opening that, which went to a tiebreak, the Spaniard dropped just two games in the second to seal the contest.
@paulabadosa is through to her 
th semifinal on the year! 👏 @paulabadosa is through to her 4️⃣th semifinal on the year!
#MubadalaSVC https://t.co/wfA4qPcx1B
Following her 29th win of the season, the World No. 4 praised the younger Gauff, saying she has all the attributes to be a world beater. However, Badosa's superior consistency on the night saw her romp across the finish line. She said (via the San Francisco Chronicle):
“I had to be quite consistent in at the baseline. She’s a great runner; she’s aggressive; she has everything to to be a great champion. But in the moment, I had to be more consistent. I’m happy about this win because it was an important one for me.”
Badosa will now take on Daria Kasatkina for a place in the final.
"The beginning was tough, and she was serving well" - Paula Badosa after beating Coco Gauff
Paula Badosa added that she had to find a way to return Gauff's big serves. The Spaniard tried to find her rhythm by playing longer points, which helped her reap rich dividends.
“The beginning was tough was she was she started serving well,” said the World No. 4. “For me, trying to find rhythm is to play a lot of long, long points. So I was trying to find that and to return her serve a little bit more because she has a big, big serve.”
Reflecting on the difficulties of facing a big server, Badosa said:
“Mentally, it’s tough to play players like her because maybe on the return you don’t have many option, and then in in your serve, you have a little bit more pressure.”
Rogers vs. [9] Kudermetova
Semis in San Jose ☀️
🇺🇸 Rogers vs. [9] Kudermetova
[7] Kasatkina vs. [2] Badosa 🇪🇸
#MubadalaSVC
Speaking about her next opponent Kasatkina, the 24-year-old said she'll need a different gameplan and will have to be more aggressive:
“Totally different match, more tactical and more physical especially. I will have to try to be aggressive, but at the same time stay calm because I know she she she likes to run, she likes to defend, she likes to a exasperate you a little bit.”
Badosa is just two wins away from picking up her second singles title of the year.