Coco Gauff has ridden a hot streak since last Fall, carrying her momentum into the Australian Open. However, the 3-seed met a surging Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals, which spelled trouble for the American tennis star.

Badosa beat Gauff in straight sets to pick up the biggest victory in her long career: 7-5, 6-4. Even the stifling heat and bright sun in Melbourne could not slow down the Spanish player on Tuesday.

Badosa matched Gauff’s aggressive play, leading to a slugfest down under. In the end, Badosa capitalized the most on big moments.

She was 4/10 on break points to Gauff’s 2/3 opportunities. After her victory, Badosa briefly fell to her knees before shaking Gauff’s hand at the net.

In her post-match interview on the court, Badosa reflected on her long recovery from a career-threatening back injury, “A year ago I was here. I didn’t know if I’d have to retire from the sport. I won today. I’m in the semifinals. I would never think a year later I would be here.”

This is the first time Badosa has reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam, becoming the fourth Spanish woman to reach the achievement in the Open Era.

Gauff struck an optimistic tone after her defeat. “A lot more work to do. I’m obviously disappointed, but I’m not completely crushed.”

She believes she is still going in the right direction and wants to continue improving her serve and forehead, “I want to continue working on that, continue working on playing aggressive. Even though I lost today, I feel like I’m on an upward trajectory.”

Badosa will face one-seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals on January 23. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated’s Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.