Paula Badosa will play her first match since her China Open semifinal defeat to Coco Gauff at the Wuhan Open. Badosa had a great chance of beating Gauff, squandering opportunities to go a set and a double break up.

Gauff then fought back and eventually won the title in Beijing, showing why she may be the mentally toughest player on the WTA Tour.

The Spaniard faces a tough challenge in her opening match in Wuhan. Ajla Tomljanovic is a two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist and always fights to the end in her matches. The Australian also has some momentum heading into her meeting with Badosa.

The pair have met on three occasions, all in 2022 on hard courts. Badosa defeated Tomljanovic twice in less than a week at her home tournaments in Sydney and then at the Australian Open. Tomljanovic got her revenge by recovering from a set down to beat the China Open semifinalist at the Cincinnati Open.

Badosa’s tough loss against Gauff should not make fans forget how well she has played since the start of the North American hardcourt season. The 26-year-old won her first title in over two years at the Citi DC Open in Washington, reached the semifinals in Cincinnati and the quarterfinals of the US Open before her run to the semifinal in Beijing. She is undoubtedly playing some of the best tennis of her career.

In recent years, Tomljanovic has been plagued by injuries. That made her run to the Birmingham Open final on grass a few months ago surprising, but she struggled again afterward. However, Tomljanovic found some inspiration at the WTA 125 tournament in Hong Kong, held during the second week of the China Open. The 31-year-old won the Hong Kong Open title, meaning she enters her contest with Badosa after five consecutive victories.

Tomljanovic managing one narrow victory and two heavy defeats against Badosa at a time when she was playing some of the best tennis of her career shows how challenging the matchup is. The Australian has a decent first serve but is unlikely to get many free points against someone of Badosa’s quality on return. She also cannot match Badosa’s raw firepower from the baseline.

One aspect of the matchup that Tomljanovic must win to have a chance is the battle of the backhands. The Australian is one of the most solid players in the women’s game off that wing. Getting mistakes from Badosa’s also impressive backhand will not be easy, but Tomljanovic needs to find a way to do that since her forehand often breaks down in matches.

Despite her excellent form in the last two months, Badosa’s defeats in Cincinnati to Jessica Pegula and the US Open to Emma Navarro were missed opportunities. But the Spaniard has not allowed those setbacks to ruin her progress. She responded with more good performances after those losses, making another good response after the China Open likely.

Whether Tomljanovic can sustain her level after playing well in Hong Kong is probably more uncertain. The five-time WTA finalist’s inconsistent performances after making the Birmingham Open final make a decline possible. Tomljanovic also got a day less to rest than her younger opponent after the Hong Kong Open final.

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