Victoria Azarenka and Paula Badosa reunite with warm hug at Charleston
Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka celebrated her reunion with Paula Badosa with a warm hug ahead of their Charleston Open campaign.
Azarenka, 33, crashed out of the Miami Open early as she lost to Magda Linette in the round of 32 of the tournament in Florida. Badosa also faced the same fate as Azarenka. The Spaniard lost to reigning Wimbledon finalist Elena Rybakina in the round of 32.
In a few videos shared online by the Charleston Open's social media profile, the Belarusian and the Spaniard shared an embrace during their practice session. Their meeting comes a day ahead of their matches in the campaign.
"Reuniting in Charleston," the tweet read.
Reuniting in Charleston 🙌
@paulabadosa 🤗 @vika7 https://t.co/XPMwpOJAfM
In another viral video, Paula Badosa and Victoria Azarenka hit the net for a brief period in the stadium.
"Paula and Vika hitting on stadium. I can never get sick of this court what a beauty."
Paula and Vika hitting on stadium. I can never get sick of this court what a beauty https://t.co/XTn3lKPlw3
The two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka later shared Charleston Open's video and tagged Badosa.
🤗 @paulabadosa twitter.com/charlestonopen…
On April 3, Paula Badosa will square off against Egypt's Mayar Sheriff in the first round of the tournament, held in South Carolina. Victoria Azarenka, on the other hand, received a bye and stands a chance to meet former Grand Slam winner Sloane Stephens in the second round of the event.
The duo last faced each other in 2022 at the Guadalajara Open when Badosa was forced to retire mid-match, due to illness.
How have Paula Badosa and Victoria Azarenka fared in 2023?
Former World No. 2 Paula Badosa kicked off her 2023 season on a good note as she reached the semifinals of the Adelaide International 2. However, the Spaniard was forced to withdraw her name from the tournament just before her semifinal match against Daria Kasatkina due to a thigh injury.
She returned to the tour at the Qatar Open, but lost to Beatriz Haddad Maia in the round of 32. In the Sunshine Double, the 25-year-old lost to Elena Rybakina on both occasions in the round of 32.
Victoria Azarenka kicked off her 2023 season with the Adelaide International 1. The veteran lost to Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Azarenka raised a lot of eyebrows as she made it to the semifinals of the 2023 Australian Open, where she lost to Rybakina.
Since her Australian Open campaign, Azarenka has failed to advance past the round of 16 in any of her tournaments. At the Charleston Open, the Belarusian has been seeded at No. 6.