After not playing any matches on the Tour for more than a month, Paula Badosa has made a strong return at the US Open. She racked up a dominant 6-1, 6-4 victory against Daria Kasatkina in the first round. The past few weeks have been tough for the Spaniard as she had to undergo minor surgery just days before the US swing. As a result, she wasn’t able to participate in any tournament leading up to the Grand Slam. Badosa shared an important injury update after claiming victory over Kasatkina.

“I’m feeling really well. I haven’t played for the last weeks. But now my body is healthy,” she said during her on-court interview at the US Open. “That’s the most important. I was really really sad last year I had to miss this tournament. Especially with the great memories I have.”

“Coming back here getting the 1st round win in front of all of you, it’s a special city for me. I was born here. I have a special connection. A part of my heart is always gonna be in New York.”

Physical issues started to arise for Badosa at the Iasi Open final in July. Having won nine matches in a row at the time, she was the favorite to win the clash against Mayar Sherif. But the Egyptian flipped the script by winning the first set. She won the first four games of the second set as well before Badosa retired due to physical discomfort, ending the match 6-4, 4-0.

Badosa soon returned at the Hamburg Open and racked up two wins. But Sherif would come back to haunt her in the third round, winning 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. This would prove to be Badosa’s final match on the Tour until the next month, as she underwent surgery and had to stay on the sidelines to recover.

Thus, there were serious doubts around Badosa’s fitness when she announced her return at the US Open. But she delivered a superb performance in the first round, playing down all injury concerns. She breezed past Kasatkina in the first set and made a strong start to the match. But the clash would then be halted as Kasatkina led the second set 2-1 due to the heavy rain in New York.

The match was played at Court 17, a venue that doesn’t have a retractable roof. This was one of the 11 singles matches that was delayed due to the weather on Tuesday. As rain continued to fall, the match officials were left with no choice but to shift the match to Wednesday.

But the momentum didn’t shift from Badosa’s side despite the long delay. She got the all-important break and served out the match comfortably. She was very strong on her serve in particular and didn’t suffer any breaks throughout the match. However, the Spaniard has an uphill task in front of her heading into the second round as she is set to face one of the favorites for the title.

Paula Badosa will lock horns with Coco Gauff in the second round

Badosa is set to tackle the in-form Gauff next at the US Open. The American reached the stage after recording a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory against Zeynep Sonmez in the first round. She arrived at the tournament off a stunning triumph at the Cincinnati Masters.

But Badosa is the one who holds the advantage in the H2H record. She currently leads by 5-3 and won both of her previous two meetings against Gauff. Their last one came at the Berlin Open in June, where Badosa triumphed 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

However, Gauff is the clear favorite this time around. She is currently in better form and has also regularly played in the US swing, unlike Badosa. The local hero is one of the favorites to win the US Open title for the second time, and the home crowd will be behind her in every match.

Will Gauff be able to continue her seven-match winning streak and reach the third round, or will Badosa go on to cause one of the biggest upsets of the tournament? We will have to wait and see.