Paula Badosa sends heartfelt message to Coco Gauff after crushing American's hopes in Australian Open QF

Paula Badosa penned a wholehearted note for Coco Gauff after crushing the American's hopes in the 2025 Australian Open quarterfinals. Gauff faced a crushing 5-7, 4-6 loss to Badosa on Tuesday, January 21.

The World No. 3 was one of the frontrunners at the Melbourne Major this year. Her fans had high hopes as she cruised to the fourth round without dropping a set. She then registered a comeback win over Belinda Bencic to reach the quarterfinals.

After Gauff was ousted from this year's Australian Open, Badosa took to social media to share her admiration for her.

"It's always a pleasure to share the court with you. I really admire you and you are a true champion! For many more battles @cocogauff," Badosa wrote on her Instagram.

Paula Badosa's Instagram story on Tuesday (Source: Instagram - @paulabadosa)

Coco Gauff has herself to blame for the most part as she made 41 unforced errors throughout the match, including six double faults and 28 forehand misses. She was also broken four times by the Spaniard.

With this result, Badosa has taken the lead over Gauff in the head-to-head record (4-3). This is the first time that the Spaniard has reached the semifinals of any Grand Slam tournament. Her previous best finish came at the 2024 US Open, where she made a quarterfinal exit.

Paula Badosa will face either defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the semifinals on Thursday, January 23.

---

"A lot more work to do" - Coco Gauff reflects on her Australian Open QF loss to Paula Badosa

Coco Gauff during a press conference at the 2025 Australian Open (Source: Getty)

Coco Gauff admitted that she has "a lot more work to do" after her disappointing straight-sets loss to Paula Badosa at the Australian Open.

During the press conference, Gauff credited her opponent's performance but reflected that the outcomes could have gone her way in a closely contested opening set.

"Paula [Badosa] was playing great. Maybe some moments in the first set could have gone my way, could have been a different outcome in the first set but yeah I think there's just a lot more work to do," Gauff said.

Although the former US Open champion was disappointed by the loss, she was optimistic about upcoming tournaments.

"I'm obviously disappointed. But I'm not completely crushed. I'm looking forward to a lot," she added.

Coco Gauff is expected to play next at the Qatar Open, where she suffered a second-round exit last year. The WTA 1000 outdoor hardcourt event will commence on February 9.