Badosa cruises into first US Open quarter-final with victory over Wang

Spaniard Paula Badosa, the No 26 seed, reached the last eight of the US Open by cruising past Chinese Yafan Wang 6-1, 6-2 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Badosa, ranked No 29, will face No 13 seed Emma Navarro Coco Gauff next. This is the Spaniard’s first appearance in the last eight at the US Open and only her second at a Grand Slam (French Open 2021).

“I don’t want to cry because last year I was here and had to withdraw. I couldn’t play the tournament. For me it was really sad,” the Spaniard said.

“Being back here a year later with my best result in a slam is a dream come true. I never thought about it. A few months ago I was thinking to quit this sport.

“Because I stopped believing in myself and my injury wasn’t responding. So being back in one of the best places in the world is a dream come true.”

In the previous rounds, the Spaniard defeated Swiss Viktorija Golubic (6-0, 6-3), American Taylor Townsend (6-3, 7-5) and Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse (4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8)).

Wang, ranked No 80, beat Greek Maria Sakkari, the No 9 seed (6-2 ret.), Frenchwoman Diane Parry (6-0, 6-4) and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, the No 20 seed (6-4, 3-6, 6-1) earlier in the tournament.

New York (Grand Slam), other last-16 results (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, hard, USD 75.000.000, most recent results first):

• Qinwen Zheng vs. Donna Vekic
• Karolina Muchova vs. Jasmine Paolini
• Caroline Wozniacki vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia
• Diana Shnaider vs. Jessica Pegula
• Iga Swiatek vs. Liudmila Samsonova
• Elise Mertens vs. Aryna Sabalenka
• Emma Navarro vs. Coco Gauff