2025 Semifinalist Badosa Crashes Out of Australian Open in Second Round, Set to Plummet in Rankings

Paula Badosa's Melbourne Magic Fades as She Falls to Oksana Selekhmeteva, Exiting Top 60 After Early Exit

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 22/01/2026 à 06h42

2 min to read

Badosa Paula Open d'Australie Selekhmeteva Oksana

Paula Badosa returns to the Australian Open. The Spaniard, ranked 26th in the world, played her first Grand Slam semifinal in Melbourne last year. However, the 28-year-old player is not at her best physically, having suffered from back issues for several years.

She was unable to build momentum as she would have liked last year, but reassured herself with a win over Zarina Diyas (6-2, 6-4) in her opening match. This time, it was Oksana Selekhmeteva who faced the 2021 Indian Wells WTA 1000 champion.

The Russian, ranked 101st in the WTA, had beaten Ella Seidel in her opening match. But in a match where she was too inconsistent (17 winners, 36 unforced errors), Badosa was never able to take control, despite an interesting comeback in the first set.

Badosa, Eliminated Early in Melbourne, Will Drop Out of the Top 60

Trailing 4-0 with a double break, the Spaniard fought back to 4-4, but Selekhmeteva tightened her game to win the last two games of the set. Badosa also started too far behind in the second set.

Trailing 5-2 with a double break, she erased one of them, but still fell (6-4, 6-4 in 1h39). Selekhmeteva will face Jessica Pegula for a spot in the round of 16.

As for Badosa, this defeat does not come without consequences. One year after falling just short of the final in this same tournament, she will drop out of the top 60 after the tournament. Just hours after her elimination, she finds herself ranked 64th in the world, and concedes her third loss in five matches this season.