Paula Badosa, the fourth-ranked woman in at the US Open, lost to Croatian-born Petra Martić on Thursday afternoon — leaving 3 of the top 4 women out of the tournament after 2 rounds.
Badosa put up a solid fight against Martic early on, winning the first set in a tie-breaker, but quickly lost control of the match, and fell 6–2 and 6–1 in the following two sets.
The young tennis player plays as a Spanish professional, though she was born in Manhattan and moved to Barcelona when she was 7.
“New York has a special place in my heart, and I told my coach that I’ll even come here for my holidays,” she had previously said.
Badosa has been quite open about her struggles with mental health issues, and an outspoken advocate for those dealing with depression and anxiety.
For more coverage of Paula Badosa and the US Open, head to amNY.com.
She has managed to overcome those issues and become a top-4 player in the world.
At 24-years-old, Badosa has yet to make the finals of a major championship, with her best performance coming in 2021, when she lost in the quarterfinals of the French Open.
She had beaten Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine in the first round of the tournament in a close 3-set battle.
Martić, meanwhile, is 31-years-old, and has similarly never won a major.
She will play Victoria Azarenka in the third round of the tournament on Saturday.
