Paula Badosa ends another positive week in Hamburg. The Spanish, despite the dedication and the good level offered, has fallen to the Egyptian Mayar Sherif, against whom he already lost in the Iasi final, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (2) and 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the German WTA 250.
Paula, who never negotiates giving her all on the court, gave in in a very competitive match in which both tennis players had 34 break options in total. A first set with up to six breaks of serve, was decided in favor of Sheriff in the tie-break 7-4. Despite the good numbers of the Spanish with his first serve, adding 67% of points wonthe tiebreaker fell on the Egyptian side.
The second also needed a tie-break to decide its owner. A crazy start with three breaks in the first three games gave Paula a 5-3 lead. But the Egyptian saved the best for last and broke the Spaniard’s serve when serving to win the set, sending it to a seven-point tiebreaker. There, Paula reigned, who pulled two great drop shots and good serves to score the second set and take the match to the final set.
In the third, between Badosa’s fatigue and Sherif’s level, the Egyptian finished the match (6-4). The Spaniard tried at all times, adding to the serve and recovering two of the breaks to go from 4-1 to 4-4but could not with the wall and the consistency of a rival who seemed not to notice the fatigue after three hours and 29 minutes of the game. Paula was left without her revenge in Hamburg.
Rise in the ranking
Despite the defeat, Paula will rise eleven places, to 82, in the WTA ranking thanks to its presence in the Hamburg quarters. This makes it increasingly settle in the top 100. His next goal, return to the top50.
