“Me trying to keep my s–t together after 7 weeks on the road, 5 countries, and 5 time zones.” That’s straight from Taylor Townsend, and honestly, who hasn’t been there? It really hits home how crazy these tennis schedules are. Like, imagine living out of a suitcase and constantly switching time zones. Just look at Paula Badosa, playing in Mexico while her fans are up super late in Spain. She totally gets it and made sure to thank them. Wonder what she said, though?

After a disappointing run at the Abu Dhabi and Qatar Open, Badosa set her sights on the Mérida Open Akron, recently upgraded from a 250 to a 500-level event. Determined to turn things around, she stepped onto the court for a 2nd-round clash, facing Jaqueline Cristian for the 2nd time in her career, holding a 1-0 edge in their previous encounter. Living up to expectations, Badosa came out firing from the get-go.

She dominated the first set 6-2, then shifted into an even higher gear in the second, leaving her Romanian opponent with no room to fight back into the match. With 8 aces and 4 break points converted from 10 opportunities, the Spaniard sealed a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory. But beyond the impressive win, it was her heartfelt message after the post-match that truly stood out. 

Right after the emphatic win over Cristian, Badosa added, “Yeah, I think I played really well today. I think the atmosphere today was amazing, I was feeling well. I felt I wanted to go for it no matter what. I wanted to go a little bit fast today because it’s late so I think I achieved that. I know there’s people in Spain watching so I want to make them to go to sleep early today.” And it all comes down to the time difference between Mexico and Spain!

Badosa’s match was scheduled for 8:30 PM local time at ‘AKRON Stadium’ in Mexico. However, since Mexico sits at 105°W, it is 7 hours behind GMT and Spain. This meant that by the time her match started, it was already 3:30 AM in Spain: a tough ask for her loyal fans who stayed up to watch at that time. Paula Badosa, mindful of her late-night Spanish fans, aimed for a quick win so they could rest. Her thoughtful gesture was widely appreciated.

As things stand, Badosa (10-6) is set to play her 2nd quarterfinals of the season, facing 121st seed Daria Saville in the next round. Beyond singles, she’s eyeing a mixed doubles Grand Slam run with her partner.

Paula Badosa and her beloved Stefano Tsitsipas to play mixed doubles at the upcoming US Open

The “United States Tennis Association” (USTA) has unveiled a major revamp for mixed doubles at the upcoming US Open, aiming to ignite fresh excitement in the event. In a bold move, the Grand Slam will now take place the week before the primary draw, with all matches packed into an intense 2-day showdown.

To keep the action ‘fast-paced’, early rounds will adopt a best-of-three-sets format, with each set played to four games and no-ad scoring in effect. The competition will feature 16 teams in the mixed doubles event, with the top eight earning their spot based on combined singles rankings, while the remaining eight duos will receive wildcard entries. And for one star-studded duo from Europe, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas have already tasted mixed doubles success in the past, capturing a title at a 2024 US Open exhibition event, playfully dubbed as the “best date night ever.” Now, the couple is ready to turn that on-court chemistry into something even bigger: a Grand Slam title at the US Open.

“She’s the mixed doubles partner I would always play with. I don’t have any other options out there or any other female player that I would want to play mixed doubles with. She’s always under my consideration and always someone I would want to share the court with,” the 11th-seed Greek stated. 

Their love story is definitely heating up, and now we’re wondering: can Badosa and Tsitsipas turn that into a winning formula at the US Open?