Spain’s Paula Badosa, the tournament’s 10th seed, was eliminated in the third round of Roland Garros after falling to Australian Daria Kasatkina, the world No. 17, in a 6-1, 7-5 defeat that lasted one hour and 33 minutes.This marks the third time in a row that Badosa has exited in the third round of the French Open, following similar outcomes in 2022 and 2024. She missed the 2023 edition due to injury. Kasatkina, 28, who recently became a naturalized Australian citizen, has now reached the fourth round in Paris for the fourth time in her career. She was a semifinalist in 2022 while still representing Russia.
The Charleston champion will next face Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, a semifinalist last year at just 18 and currently ranked No. 6 in the world. Andreeva, coached by Spaniard Conchita MartÃnez, advanced after defeating Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, world No. 31, who was making her fourth third-round appearance.
Badosa was unable to complete a third comeback at this year’s clay-court Grand Slam, although she showed signs of one after a lopsided first set. She managed to halt an eight-game winning streak by Kasatkina in the second set before a brief rain interruption. After the delay, Badosa appeared more composed and competitive, offering a level of resistance that was missing early on. But Kasatkina remained steady and ultimately broke Badosa’s serve in the 12th game to seal the match.
Badosa’s campaign in Paris lasted longer than even she had expected. Sidelined by injury earlier this year, she had only played a match and a half in Strasbourg last week and came to Roland Garros primarily to gain match experience. A semifinalist at the last Australian Open, Badosa entered the tournament with modest expectations, focusing more on regaining rhythm than setting ambitious goals. She said the bigger targets would come later, potentially at Wimbledon, as her form improved.
Roland Garros became a transitional phase. As she advanced through the first two rounds, marked by flashes of brilliance and occasional dips, her confidence began to grow. In the opening round, she overcame former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, dropping a set in the process.
In the second round, she battled past Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse, ranked No. 80. In both matches, Badosa showed impressive mental resilience, recovering from poor starts and refusing to let go of the contest, fighting back to claim hard-fought wins. Those early tests, passed with grit, helped her build confidence and accumulate valuable match time-the primary goal of her Paris campaign.
But against Kasatkina, her level wasn’t enough. The No. 10 seed will now have to pack her bags. EFE lmpg-sk