Paula Badosa reached a career high ranking of World No. 2 when the latest WTA rankings were released on April 25th. The Spaniard is the second best ranked player in the world, but she\u2019s yet to really make an impact at the Grand Slam level. What does this mean; is she the real deal or not?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a rapid rise to the top of the game for Badosa, who 12 months before reaching World No. 2 was relatively unknown and ranked at No. 62. Badosa made her first big breakthrough in front of her home fans in Madrid in 2021, as she went all the way to the semifinals as a wild card. The 24-year-old used that run as a springboard, ultimately having a stellar clay court swing as she captured her first WTA singles title<\/a> in Belgrade and achieved her greatest result at a Major<\/a> by reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.<\/p>\n Badosa made her next big move in late 2021 by winning her first 1000 level title in Indian Wells, which secured her a spot in the top 10 and place in the WTA Finals. A steady start to 2022, including a title in Sydney as well as semifinals in Indian Wells and Stuttgart have catapulted Badosa to No. 2 in the world.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a magnificent 12 months for Badosa, there\u2019s no doubt about that. However, it\u2019s reasonable to question whether she is truly the second best player in the world given her consistent lapses in big matches and on the biggest stages. In 2021 Badosa was beaten by Ludmilla Samsonova, Tamara Zidansek, Karolina Muchova and Varvara Gracheva in the Majors, reaching a single quarterfinal where she missed a golden opportunity in a 6-8 final set loss to Zidansek. There\u2019s huge room for improvement at the Majors.<\/p>\nBig Match Woes<\/h4>\n