Paula Badosa calls her on-court persona "unrecognizable" in Australian Open 4R after angry outburst in previous match

Paula Badosa remarked on her coolheadedness as she beat Olga Danilovic in the fourth round of the ongoing Australian Open on Sunday. The Spaniard got past the Serb 6-1, 7-6(2), and is set to face Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.

Following her win, Paula Badosa expressed surprise at her composure during the match and revealed that she struggles to keep her emotions in check when on the court

"Like honestly, I didn't recognise myself because I was so calm. Even my coach was surprised. He was like "I want to hear you more" and I'm like no, no, let's keep it like this because sometimes when I get too emotional it can be a roller coaster," she said during the post match interview.

Badosa caught attention on Day 6 of the 2025 Australian Open when she expressed frustration about the wind conditions during her third-round match against Marta Kostyuk. Many fans speculated that the Spaniard was lashing out at her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas, who seemed to be calming her down.

However, following her 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win against Kostyuk, Badosa took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify that her reaction was directed to her coaching team and not her boyfriend.

Stefanos Tsitsipas was present on the courtside cheering for Paula Badosa. The Greek faced an unfortunate exit in the first round of the Major, losing to Alex Michelsen.

---

"She is playing some great tennis"- Paula Badosa praised by Coco Gauff ahead of QF clash

Coco Gauff (Left) with Paula Badosa (Right) at the 2024 China Open - Source: Getty

After her win against Olga Danilovic, Badosa is all set for her first Australian Open quarterfinal match at a Grand Slam. She will face World No. 3 Coco Gauff on Tuesday, January 21.

Coco Gauff, who overcame Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in the fourth round on Sunday, praised her quarterfinal opponent during the post-match interview, saying:

"Every time I play Paula, it's a tough match. She is playing some great tennis and the last time we played, it went 3 sets- i think? So yeah, it's going to be a tough match," she said.

The two have faced each other on six occasions, with their head-to-head even at 3-3. Coco Gauff clinched the win in their last encounter, when she defeated Badosa 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 at the 2024 China Open semifinals.

Despite being the younger of the two, Coco Gauff holds more experience in the Grand Slam stages, with two semifinal appearances, a runner-up finish, as well as a US Open title win.