Paula Badosa’s 2025 season saw her retire in tears at the China Open while trailing Karolina Muchova 4–2. When she returned in 2026, her rough start continued at the Brisbane International, signaling lingering struggles. The Spanish star then withdrew mid-match from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships following misfortune in Doha, as challenges mounted early in her season.

Elina Svitolina and Paula Badosa’s second-round clash in Dubai ended unfortunately. Badosa was forced to retire after the first set.

Badosa, who fell to No. 70 after failing to defend her 2025 Australian Open semifinal points, started strong. She led 4-1 early in the match.

The former world No. 2 also had two consecutive break points for a 5-1 lead over Svitolina. Things then took a sharp turn.

Badosa lost the next five games, allowing Svitolina to take the opener 6-4.

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The Spaniard then took a medical timeout for a leg issue. After consulting with doctors, she looked upset.

In tears, Badosa retired from the match. The win made Svitolina 3-0 in their H2H meetings.

Svitolina previously beat Badosa in the Billie Jean King Cup in 2025 and at Eastbourne in 2021.

“I was expecting Paula to play well,” Svitolina said after the match. “I was very sad that we couldn’t continue after the first set, but I think the level was pretty high. She was striking the ball really well. In the end, I found my way, found my game. So, it’s a mixture of feelings. I hope she gets well and comes back stronger.”

Svitolina will face Belinda Bencic in the third round on Wednesday. Earlier, ninth-seeded Bencic advanced with a walkover. Her scheduled opponent, Sara Bejlek, withdrew due to an abdominal injury.

Before Dubai, Badosa had pulled out of last week’s WTA 1000 in Doha because of a hip injury. The same issue may have affected her today.

And for the Spaniard, her disappointing 2026 season continues. She has now forfeited yet another match, prolonging her early-season struggles.

Paula Badosa has struggled with her performance since early 2026

At the start of the Australian swing, Paula Badosa reached the round of 16 in Brisbane. She then lost in her opener in Adelaide.

At the AO, she had many points to defend. She won her opening match against Zarina Diyas. However, her run ended in the second round. She fell 6-4, 6-4 to Oksana Selekhmeteva.

After her AO exit, Badosa admitted, “I’m not happy, obviously. I think she deserves credit, of course, but I also believe that I have done things to deserve this defeat. I haven’t played great tennis, I’m finding it a bit hard to feel like myself, but I guess it’s part of the process.”

She also spoke about her struggles since the start of 2026: “On my side of the court, I didn’t feel myself. I didn’t feel I was playing good tennis. I was uncomfortable right from the beginning. It is what it is – I have to accept it and keep working.”

The Middle East swing did not bring better results. She lost in the first round to lucky loser Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the Abu Dhabi Open before two back-to-back withdrawals.

Badosa’s injury problems continue to haunt her. Last year, she revealed how close she came to retiring.

She said, “I was close, I was close to retirement. What kept me going is that I always had that faith in myself of keep believing, like just give it one more try, one more try. And I think also what kept me going was the passion I have for tennis. I love it.”

Fans now hope to see her at the Sunshine Double. Her strong will is expected to inspire her return.

The question remains whether Badosa can bounce back at Indian Wells. Only her resilience and determination will decide her comeback.