Harriet Dart fights back from set down to beat Paula Badosa and reach Guangzhou Open semi-final
Britain’s Harriet Dart has reached the second WTA Tour semi-final of her career after a battling 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over fifth seed Paula Badosa at the Guangzhou Open in China. The 30-year-old, who came through qualifying, needed two hours and 15 minutes to overcome the Spaniard at the Nansha International Tennis Centre, turning the match around after losing the opening set.
Dart overcomes higher-ranked Badosa in three-set comeback
Dart, ranked 54 places below Badosa, dropped her opening service game in the first set before breaking back to draw level at 3-3. However, the former world number two broke again to lead 5-3 and held her serve to take the set. The momentum shifted in the second set, with both players exchanging breaks early on before Dart seized control to level the match at one set apiece.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Tournament | Guangzhou Open |
| Venue | Nansha International Tennis Centre, Guangzhou, China |
| Result | Harriet Dart bt Paula Badosa 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 |
| Match duration | Two hours and 15 minutes |
| Next opponent | Sun Xinran (China, wildcard, aged 16) |
Heat, medical timeouts, and a saved match point
The deciding set produced the most drama. Badosa required two medical timeouts as she appeared to struggle with the heat and humidity in southern China. She saved a match point at 5-3 and broke Dart’s serve, but the Spaniard was running on empty in her next service game. Dart won it to love to close out the match and seal her place in the last four.
“It was an incredible battle. I thought Paula started really strongly. I was always behind, and knew it was going to be an incredibly tough match. I really needed to hang in there during the tough moments and wait for a chance. Luckily I was able to take my chance, and I am very excited to be in the semi-finals.”
— Harriet Dart
Match at a glance
Dart also reflected on the longer wait between tour-level deep runs. Her first semi-final appearance came at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, where she lost in straight sets to Karolina Pliskova. Since then, she has worked her way back through qualifying and a victory over second seed Janice Tjen in the previous round.
“It’s been a very long time since I’ve been in the business end of the tournament so I am really excited for that,” Dart said. “Tennis is so stressful, so to have the opportunity to compete again on Saturday is a great opportunity for me.”
A second tour semi-final after Cluj-Napoca
Dart will now face 16-year-old Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran in the semi-finals on Saturday. The teenager represents the next generation of home talent, while Dart brings years of tour experience to the contest. For the British player, a place in the final would mark another significant step forward in her return to the business end of WTA competition.
Teenage wildcard Sun Xinran awaits in the last four
For Harriet Dart, the victory over Paula Badosa is more than just a single result. It is confirmation that her game can compete with established top-60 players and former world number twos when conditions are at their most grueling. With a semi-final berth secured and a home-crowd wildcard waiting, the Guangzhou Open could yet become the breakthrough week her career has been building toward.
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