MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff faced a challenging setback at the Australian Open as her revamped forehand and serve faltered at a crucial moment. With each passing game, unforced errors piled up alongside double faults and break points, leading to moments of despair marked by her hands shielding her eyes or slapping her thigh in frustration.
Ultimately, Gauff’s long-anticipated journey at Melbourne Park, alongside her impressive 13-match winning streak since last season, came to a halt in the quarterfinals. On a scorching afternoon in Rod Laver Arena, the reigning U.S. Open champion fell to Spain’s No. 11 Paula Badosa with a score of 7-5, 6-4.
After a rocky conclusion to her title defense in New York last September, Gauff, at just 20 years old, made significant updates to her game and coaching team, arriving in Australia ready to chase her second Grand Slam title.
“I felt like during the U.S. Open, I was playing without any solutions, which was incredibly frustrating. Today, however, I felt equipped with answers; I know what I need to work on. My serve might not be at its peak yet, but I’ve made substantial progress and intend to keep pushing to play more aggressively,” Gauff reflected.
“I believe I’m on the right trajectory,” she added. “Despite today’s loss, I see myself moving upward.”
Gauff entered Tuesday’s match with an impressive 9-0 start for 2025, capping off last season by clinching the trophy at the WTA Finals in November.
“There’s still a lot more work ahead of me,” Gauff stated after her 1-hour and 43-minute match against Badosa, who had previously entered the quarterfinals with a 0-2 record in Grand Slam tournaments. “While I’m disappointed, it’s not the end of the world for me.”
Meanwhile, Badosa celebrated her first journey to a Grand Slam semifinal at the age of 27.
“I’m feeling a bit emotional,” Badosa expressed. “I aimed to showcase my best tennis, and I genuinely think I did. I’m incredibly proud of the level I reached today.”
Badosa kept the pressure on Gauff, who only sporadically shone through. Gauff concluded the match with an alarming total of 41 unforced errors, which included six double-faults—one of which came on the final point leading to Badosa’s 5-2 advantage in the second set—alongside 28 forehands gone awry.
Throughout the match, Gauff faced 10 break points, losing four out of her 11 service games, and frustratingly, she didn’t create a break point until already trailing by a set and a break.
A crucial moment came at the outset of the second set—a grueling game that spanned 22 points over more than 12 minutes, culminating in Badosa capitalizing on Gauff’s fifth break opportunity after the American made consecutive forehand errors.
In fact, 11 out of Badosa’s 12 points in that game stemmed from Gauff’s mistakes, with seven of those being misfired forehands.
“Today, I think she just handled those critical moments more effectively than I did,” Gauff admitted.
As the challenges mounted, Gauff didn’t conceal her frustration, even dropping her racket in despair at one point.
When Badosa sealed her victory with a forehand winner, she covered her mouth in disbelief and dropped to her knees—a monumental moment for someone who once held a career-high ranking of No. 2 in 2022 but faced a debilitating back injury that nearly ended her career.
“A year ago, I could never have imagined being here,” Badosa shared. “I’ve faced many challenges, but I was once among the world’s elite.”
Next, Badosa is set to face either No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, a two-time defending champion in Melbourne, or No. 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the finalist from the 2021 French Open, with their quarterfinal scheduled for Tuesday night.
Following that, all eyes will be on the much-anticipated men’s quarterfinal matchup: Novak Djokovic versus Carlos Alcaraz.
At 37, Djokovic aims to secure his 11th Australian Open title and set a record with his 25th Grand Slam singles victory overall. Conversely, Alcaraz seeks to complete his career Grand Slam at just 21 by adding an Australian crown to his impressive collection that already includes two Wimbledons and one title each from the U.S. Open and French Open.
In another quarterfinal clash, No. 2 Alexander Zverev will take on No. 12 Tommy Paul.