MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 30: Paula Badosa of Spain plays a backhand during her second round match against Simona Halep of Romania during day three of the Mutua Madrid Open at La Caja Magica on April 30, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Spain’s Paula Badosa will challenge the No.32 seed Marta Kostyuk in the third round of the Italian Open
Badosa hasn’t been in the best of form since her injury ahead of the Australian Open earlier this year in January. The Spaniard suffered early exits from most of her events after the comeback from injury.
However, she has looked better recently at the Charleston Open and the Stuttgart Open, reaching the quarter-finals stage of both tournaments. This is certainly a positive sign and Badosa will be looking to make it count in Italy.
The Spaniard has carried forward the positive momentum and made a good start at the Italian Open. She began her campaign with a thrilling victory against Anna-Lena Friedsam in three sets. Badosa then pulled off a major upset against 4th seed Ons Jabeur, defeating the Tunisian in straight sets 6-1, 6-4. She is certainly a player in form and has already shown that she can beat anyone on her day.
Marta Kostyuk is one of the youngsters to watch out for in the current WTA circuit. She has already impressed one and all with her aggressive style of play and her clarity of thought despite her young age.
The Ukrainian absolutely decimated Claire Liu 6-0, 6-4 in her opening match and is coming into this encounter high on confidence. It remains to be seen if she can get the better of the much-experienced Paula Badosa.
Date – Sunday, 14th May
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – To be Announced
Location – Foro Italico
Match details – Round of 32 match
Badosa and Kostyuk have played each other twice before on the WTA Tour. Both the matches have been closely fought but Badosa has the upper hand and leads 2-0 on head-to-head. However, Kostyuk is an emerging youngster who can certainly not be taken lightly. It’s a difficult match to call as both players are very close in terms of rankings and the performance on that particular day is likely to make a difference. We are predicting an intense encounter with Marta Kostyuk eventually coming out on top in three sets.
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