"Very weird for me" - Paula Badosa lost for words after US Open run ends in disappointment against Emma Navarro in QF

Paula Badosa lost the first set but led 5-1 in the second set against Emma Navarro in the 2024 US Open quarterfinal. The Spaniard then let the big lead slip; Navarro won six games in a row to advance. Badosa later said she needed time to process what happened, and that she was "disappointed."

On Tuesday, September 3, Badosa and Navarro participated in their first-ever US Open quarterfinal at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The American raced to a 3-0 lead early on, and broke Badosa again at 5-2 to bag the first set convincingly.

In the second set, the Spaniard dominated proceedings to take a 5-1 lead. The American, however, had other plans. Navarro managed to win six games in a row, including 24 out of the last 28 points, to win the set and advance to the semifinal.

During her post-match press conference, Badosa said there's a "first time" for everything - including letting such a big lead slip through her fingers.

“This is the first time it has happened to me in my career. I think losing a set from 5-1 up, I never did that before. So I think there is always a first time for something, so it had to come today, unfortunately," Paula Badosa said.

The 26-year-old added that she was unsure how she let the lead slip. Badosa said:

"I don't know. I still need to think what happened, because I had two service games there also. I started to miss. I lost, I don't know, 20 points almost in a row. It's very weird for me because I'm quite a consistent player, so I wasn't expecting that either. I’m quite disappointed.”

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Paula Badosa says she 'never had momentum' despite her lead against Emma Navarro in US Open 2024 QF

Paula Badosa at the 2024 US Open. (Image: Getty)

Paula Badosa said she 'never had the momentum' in her 2024 US Open quarterfinal against Emma Navarro. Despite leading 5-1 in the second set, the Spaniard did not feel like she was playing well. In her post-match press conference, she said:

“I never had the momentum in this match. I played four or five games okay. It was 5-1, but I never felt myself in the court. I didn't feel serving well, playing well from the baseline. That's my biggest strength.

"So I think today it surprised me because I was playing pretty good the other matches, I was feeling good. But when I walked into the court, I think I didn't match well the situation or the emotions."

This was Badosa's best result at a Grand Slam since her quarterfinal exit at the 2021 French Open. Meanwhile, Navarro has reached her first Grand Slam semifinal and will take on either Aryna Sabalenka or Zheng Qinwen.