Just days ago, Paula Badosa’s immediate future looked uncertain, with the former World No. 2 on the verge of dropping into the US Open qualifying draw after falling outside the top 100. Fast forward a week, and everything has changed. A title in Bastad and a runner-up finish in Iasi have put her season back on track. Yet, even amid the resurgence, when Badosa threw her racket into the stands during a heated semi-finals clash at Iasi, Rennae Stubbs couldn’t hold back the criticism for the Spaniard’s actions.

Serena Williams’ ex-coach argued that Badosa should have been disqualified on the spot regardless of whether the racket hit someone or not. 

“That was absolute disgrace,” Stubbs said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast. “You know, as a player, when you let go of a racket out of your hand, whatever happens after that is on you, no matter even if it’s ‘unlucky.’ Like, ‘Oh, I didn’t mean to hit that thing, and then it flicked up and went in.’ You had the control of the racket in your hand, and you let it go. Whatever happens after that is on you.”

She was equally blunt about how she believes the rules should change to prevent similar incidents in future. “And if it goes into the stands, you should absolutely be defaulted immediately. And that is the only way to stop it.”

The moment occurred during a tense battle against Tamara Zidansek, a seasoned clay court player. The Slovenian claimed the first set 6-3, and Badosa’s frustration boiled over after missing an overhead smash into the net, sending her racket flying towards the stands. Fortunately for the Spaniard, it landed just short of any spectators, sparing her from an automatic default and allowing her to continue what became one of the most dramatic comebacks of her season. 

Badosa, down 5-4 in the second set and looking like she was in trouble, broke her serve and leveled 5-5 before breaking again to take the second set 7-5. It was followed by a deciding set tiebreak which the Spaniard won 7-1. 

The result extended what has become a stunning turnaround for Badosa since the low point of a first-round exit to Emma Navarro at Wimbledon. However, she made it finals in Iasi on the back of an unbeaten streak of nine matches and a title at the Bastad Nordea Open, and just dropped 2 sets in the whole week. 

Beating Zidansek wasn’t just another victory on the scoreboard. It came on the same day as the US Open entry deadline and proved crucial in lifting Badosa from World No. 141 after Wimbledon back into the top 100, earning her direct entry into Flushing Meadows. 

A physically draining fortnight catches up with Paula Badosa in the final

Paula Badosa was facing Mayar Sherif in the final; this was their third meeting on the tour. All the previous matches took place on clay, with one match apiece. The 28-year-old lost the first set 4-6 and had to take two medical timeouts early in the second set for a left leg issue. She was trailing 0-4 and finally decided to retire and hand the title to the Egyptian. 

The former world No. 2 looked visibly upset afterwards, apologizing to the crowd and saying she “hated” ending the tournament in that fashion. She added that her body just couldn’t go on with the workload after playing 10 matches over the last two weeks. Though she was disappointed with her loss, the runner-up result lifted her rankings to No. 93, a huge jump from a month ago.

Rather than take time to recover, Badosa has pushed straight on to her next event, entering the Bitpanda Hamburg Open, where she faces Katarzyna Kawa in the round of 32. The Spaniard is trying to make the most out of her body while it stays fit, managing physical fatigue and keeping the momentum going into the North American hard court swing.