The heat became too much for Paula Badosa to handle in the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou Open. Despite taking an important lead and winning the first set against Harriet Dart, she unexpectedly capitulated and lost the next two sets to lose 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. The Spaniard might as well blame the weather for her defeat, as the conditions on the court were so intense that even the Heat Rule had to be applied at one stage.

Badosa had a very strong start to the match and clinched the first three games comfortably. But Dart found her way back into the set and won 12 of the next 16 points. While she may have found momentum, Badosa was clearly the better player in the first set and eventually sealed it to take the lead. However, the situation changed drastically for the Spaniard in the next set as the conditions became so unbearable that she even suffered heatstroke.

The set was level at 2-2 after the first four games. But Badosa’s condition started to worsen as the temperature soared over 30 degrees Celsius in Guangzhou. She took a medical timeout halfway through the set, but it didn’t change the situation at all. Badosa lost the next four games as Dart levelled the match. The Heat Rule was applied at the end of the set, and a 10-minute break was awarded to both players as Badosa tried to recover. Despite being on the verge of fainting due to the heat at one stage, she heroically decided to continue playing until the end.

The short break initially seemed to have worked in Badosa’s favor. She got an early break over Dart in the decider and appeared to be in better condition than before. But the Brit soon broke back and did it again to take a 5-3 lead. She earned the opportunity to serve for the match and even had the match point under her belt at one stage. However, Badosa not only saved it but also went on to win the game.

Unfortunately for her, it all counted for nothing as Dart broke to love in the next game to take the victory and advance to the semifinals. This is just the second time that she has qualified for the last 4 in a tour-level event. Dart admitted that Badosa was a very tricky opponent for her.

“It was an incredible battle. I thought Paula started really strongly,” she said in her on-court interview. “I was always behind, but I knew going in that it was going to be an incredibly tough match. I really needed to hang in there in the tough moments, and maybe I’d get a chance. Luckily, I was able to take my chances today, and I’m really excited to be in the semi-final. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been in the business end of a (WTA) tournament, so I’m very proud of that.”

Having entered the tournament as a qualifier, Dart has now won five matches in a row. Four of these matches were settled in three sets. It has already been quite a grueling campaign for the Brit, but things can get even better for her as another win can see her enter the top 100.

Harriet Dart has the opportunity to surpass Emma Raducanu in the rankings

Dart entered the tournament ranked No. 115, but is now up to No. 107. She has already risen eight spots, and a victory in the semifinals will see her overtake Emma Raducanu, who is ranked No. 105. She will also climb back into the top 100 and become the British No. 4. If Dart is able to maintain her position, then she can even gain direct entry into the Australian Open next year.

Dart will be up against China’s Sun Xinran in the semifinals. The 16-year-old has pretty much been on a magical run in the tournament. Her latest victory came against Claire Liu in the quarterfinals, where she triumphed 7-5, 7-6.

Xinran will have the support of the home crowd, so Dart can very well be under a lot of pressure. The two have never met in a tour-level match before, so no one really knows what to expect. With both players being in great form, the match can go in either direction.