Disaster for Coco Gauff as No.3 seed crashes out of the Australian Open in huge upset

Paula Badosa has delivered a career-defining performance to defeat Coco Gauff in the Australian Open quarterfinals, sending the No.3 seed tumbling out of the tournament in a major shock. 

Badosa said she is ‘super proud’ of the level she delivered in an emotional return to her best form in the straight sets 7-5, 6-4 upset after fearing she would need to retire prematurely because of stress fractures in her back.

Doctors had told her in 2024 that her career was over, making the win extra emotional for the Spaniard. 

‘I mean, I’ve been through a lot. I was in the past one of the best players in the world but I think now I’m a better player, more mature, I think I managed emotions a little bit better, not always, but sometimes,’ she said.

‘And I mean, it was great to play in front of you guys. The atmosphere was amazing and for me this is a dream come true.

‘I mean, a year ago, I was here with my back that I didn’t know if I had to retire from this sport. Now I’m here playing against the best in the world. I won today. I’m in semifinals. So I would never think that a year after I would be here.’

Gauff, who entered the clash as the overhwleming favourite and had been in scintillating form , was unable to overcome Badosa’s relentless pressure and precise shot-making. 

And she was her own worst enemy, with 41 unforced errors and six double faults.

‘Coco Gauff is a hard watch when she gets in her own head. Can’t serve. Can’t hit a forehand,’ a US fan posted to social media platform X.

While Gauff was the raging favourite, Badosa has caused her plenty of headaches in the past before her back injury. 

Badosa, who has consistently troubled Gauff in previous meetings, exploited the American’s weaknesses with a mix of deep returns and court coverage. 

Gauff’s trademark defence and athleticism were met with aggressive cross-court winners and a relentless net game from the Spaniard. 

‘It was one for the ages,’ Channel Nine commentator Tony Jones said. 

‘Considering she said in the interview with Alicia Molik that she thought it was all over for her career only a year ago.

‘She was suffering stress fractures of the back, needed constant injections just to get through. It was an incredible effort for both body and mind to get to the stage where she is now, and even before wrapping up that match, it was an historic one for her, given that she had never won a set off a top 10 player at a Grand Slam event before.

‘Well done to Paula Badosa there.’

The win means Badosa will contest her first ever grand slam semi-final and after two previous attempts in Australia, she signed the camera ‘three times the charm’ in Spanish. 

Gauff remained upbeat despite the loss, saying she felt her game had improved since the 2024 US Open.

“I feel like [at the] US Open, I was playing with no solution, so that was more the frustrating part,’ she said.

‘Today, I feel like I’m playing with solutions; I know what I need to work on. 

‘US Open, I needed to work on my serve. Not saying that my serve is where I want it to be, but I worked on it; obviously a big improvement. 

‘So I want to continue working on that, continue working on playing aggressive.

‘So I feel like I’m on the road to the right way, right path

‘Even though I lost today, I feel like I’m in an upward trajectory.’