"It's not fair for her to have a first round like that," Badosa said about Osaka after their match at the French Open.
Paula Badosa had to work hard to reach the second round at the French Open. The Spaniard, the 10th seed at this Parisian tournament, overturned Naomi Osaka (6-7, 6-1, 6-4) in a thrilling match.
After serving for the first set win, the former world number 2 eventually lost the set in the tiebreak but had a strong reaction, winning four of the last five games of the match.
In a press conference, Badosa, who will face Elena-Gabriela Ruse for a place in the round of 32, had comforting words for the Japanese player, who appeared in tears when speaking to the media after the match.
"I think it was a high-level match from both sides. I'm happy with my performance and the way I fought until the end. It was a very difficult match.
She pushed me to my limits. The goal is to find the balance between taking risks while also being consistent. Today, it was important to be steady.
She also played very well, the match could have gone either way. I have to be honest, it's not fair for her to have a first round like that. She lost, but she's playing very good tennis. I think she will be back to where she wants to be very soon. I'm a bit tired, honestly.
Nevertheless, I'm happy with how my body responded today. There were quite a few long rallies, and she hits the ball very hard. In the third set, there was a moment when it became physically tough, but I held on," assured the Spaniard after the match.
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