Paula Badosa fulfilled a lifelong dream with the biggest win of her career to defeat Victoria Azarenka to win the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Sunday.
The Spaniard, 23, secured the second title of her career with a hard-fought 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 victory over two-time champion Azarenka.
In doing so, Badosa became just the third woman to win in her Indian Wells debut.
"Every morning I wake up and my dream is to win a tournament like this," Badosa said. "I have to keep working hard and always believe. The key is to enjoy the journey."
Badosa won her only previous WTA final earlier this season in Belgrade but she did it via a retirement over Ana Konjuh.
This one was sweeter because Badosa got to close out the championship point on the court, hammering a forehand winner to the open side that Azarenka could only watch sail in.
Badosa celebrated the biggest win of her career by falling face first to the court, both hands covering her face while the crowd cheered.
"This is a dream come true," said Badosa during the post-match festivities on the court.
She then turned to Azarenka, saying "I remember when I was 14 or 15 years old seeing you win Grand Slams and hoping one day I can play like that."
Two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka was trying to become the first three-time WTA winner in Indian Wells.
She battled back several times on Sunday, digging in after dropping the first set in a tightly-contested tiebreaker. But the 32-year-old Belarussian fell behind early in the final set tiebreaker and couldn't recover.
Badosa got the first break of the match in the seventh game of the opening set but Azarenka immediately broke back to level at 4-4.
Azarenka used an ace to win the fifth game of the opening set and then used another ace to set up the winning point in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead.
The first set took one hour and 20 minutes including the tightly-contested tiebreaker.
Badosa jumped out to a 4-0 lead but Azarenka clawed her way back in to level it 5-5. An unforced error by Azarenka created set point and Badosa overpowered her with a blistering cross court forehand winner to end the marathon set.
Despite losing a gruelling first set in a tiebreaker, Azarenka looked the fresher of the two in at the beginning of the second set.
She won the first three games of the second to set the tone and then served out the set with some solid placements and a few aces sprinkled in.
Azarenka smacked an ace to get to set point then closed it out when Badosa hit a backhand long.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Azarenka held serve in the eighth game of the third set and blasted a backhand winner down the line to level the set at 4-4.
Azarenka broke in the ninth game but Badosa returned the favour in the very next game as the third set, like the entire match, went back and forth.
The tiebreak was pretty much all Badosa as the veteran Azarenka appeared to run out of gas, losing four of the final five points of the match.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Ferrari
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Aahid Al Khalediah II, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Whistle, Harry Bentley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup - Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alsaied, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mumayaza, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
8pm: President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Medahim, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Race card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) US$100,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
7.05pm: Meydan Classic Listed (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 2 (TB) $300,000 (T) 2,810m
9.25pm: Curlin Stakes Listed (TB) $175,000 (D) 2,000m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
10.35pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm: Shahm, 7.05pm: Well Of Wisdom, 7.40pm: Lucius Tiberius, 8.15pm: Captain Von Trapp, 8.50pm: Secret Advisor, 9.25pm: George Villiers, 10pm: American Graffiti, 10.35pm: On The Warpath
