There couldn’t have been a better time for Paula Badosa to pick up her form. With the US Open around the corner, the Spaniard has reached her first WTA final in two years. It was only last week that she lifted the title at the Bastad Nordea Open. She has continued her winning streak at the Iasi Open in Romania after reaching the final after a hard-fought victory in the semis. However, her behavior is something she wouldn’t be proud of.

Badosa came up against Tamara Zidansek in the last 4. Though the Spaniard was the favorite to win due to her form, she faced quite a tough battle that could have gone either way. Zidansek is known to be a strong player on clay, and she started the match on a solid note. She gained the all-important break over Badosa and clinched the first set 6-3. Badosa’s frustration even spilled over at one stage as she threw her racket into the crowd after hitting an overhead smash straight onto the net.

Luckily for her, the racket didn’t hurt anyone in the crowd, and she didn’t receive any harsh penalty. The second set would also see Zidansek gain the upper hand, taking a 5-4 lead as Badosa was on the brink of defeat at one stage. But the 28-year-old refused to go down so easily and levelled up the set at 5-5 by gaining a crucial break. She would then hold her serve in the next game before clinching another break over Zidansek to take the set 7-5.

Many more twists would occur in the third set. Zidansek would get an early break, but Badosa broke right back to level up the set at 2-2. But the Slovenian would break again and had the opportunity to serve for the match at 6-5. But she would commit multiple unforced errors under pressure, handing the break to Badosa. As a result, the set went into a tiebreaker at 6-6.

Badosa would put in a fine effort in the breaker as Zidansek lost all her composure. The Spaniard clinched it by 7-1 to win the grueling match after two hours and 41 minutes. Badosa has turned her fortunes around ever since her first-round defeat to Emma Navarro at Wimbledon last month. She is now on a nine-match winning streak and has lost just two sets during this remarkable run.

The Spaniard will be taking on Mayar Sherif in the final of the Iasi Open. She has previously faced the Egyptian on two occasions, and the H2H record is currently tied at 1-1. Their last meeting had come at the Charleston Open in 2023 and had seen Badosa win comprehensively by 6-3, 6-1. It remains to be seen if she will be able to deliver a similar performance in the all-important final.

Badosa achieved one of her main objectives with her victory over Zidansek. This result could see her gain direct entry into the main draw at the US Open.

Paula Badosa is expected to break into the top 100 ahead of the US Open

Badosa’s run to the final of the Iasi Open will likely see her end up at No. 93 in the rankings. She had dropped all the way down to No. 141 after her early exit at the SW19. But she is now back in the top 100 for the first time this season.

The victory over Zidansek holds even greater value for Badosa due to the timing. Monday, July 20, will mark the deadline for direct entry lists for the US Open. With Badosa now being in the top 100, she will receive direct entry into the main draw of the Grand Slam.

Things may get even better for Badosa in the coming days if she is able to win over Sherif. She can rise all the way up to No. 75 if she wins the title at the Iasi Open

It remains to be seen if Badosa will be able to win her second title in as many weeks by defeating Sherif in the final of the Iasi Open.