Iga Swiatek defeated Paula Badosa in their Billie Jean King Cup Finals tie, which ended with Spain on the losing side. Notably, it was the Spaniard's birthday and she jokingly claimed that the Pole ruined her day.
Badosa turned 27 on November 15 and received birthday wishes from her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitspas and friends Ons Jabeur, Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Raducanu among others. She also participated in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals knockout tie on her birthday against Poland.
In the first match, Poland's Magda Linette pulled off an impressive 7-6(8), 2-6, 6-4 victory over Sara Sorribes. World No. 2 Swiatek took on World No. 12 Badosa next in a must-win clash for the Spaniard.
However, it was not meant to be for the birthday girl. Swiatek won the first set but Badosa rallied back in the second set to win via tiebreaker and force a decider. In the third set, the Pole was too hot to handle for Badosa with the match ending in a 3-6, 7-6(7), 1-6 loss for her.
After the match, Badosa took to her Instagram Story to jokingly blame Swiatek for ruining her birthday. She uploaded an image of her embracing the Pole at the net after the match and wrote:
"Too good @iga.swiatek thank you for ruining my bday... It was very nice to share the court with you again. You made me realize I still have to work my a** off a bit more keep inspiring"
"Privilege to share court with you" - Iga Swiatek responds to Paula Badosa's message
Iga Swiatek reshared Paula Badosa's Instagram Story and thanked her for the kind words. The Pole said it was a privilege to share the court with the 27-year-old.
"Thank you @paulabadosa it's such a privilege to share court with you," Swiatek wrote on her Story.
Further, Swiatek gave a special birthday shoutout to Badosa after the match. The 23-year-old shot a short video for the Billie Jean King Cup's official social media account where she addressed fans after Poland's successful tie against Spain.
"Hi guys, it’s Iga here with Polish team and with this amazing crowd. We are in the quarterfinals of Billie Jean King Cup Finals. It’s amazing. First time for us. So I’m already proud and happy that I could win my singles," Swiatek said. "And happy birthday Paula."
Swiatek's Poland will take on second seed Czech Republic in the quarterfinal of the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals.