Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
News Desk | Sports
Spanish tennis professional Paula Badosa was eliminated in the first round of the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Monday, suffering an upset loss to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the United Arab Emirates, tournament results showed. The defeat extended a challenging start to Badosa’s 2026 season, following her earlier second-round exit at the Australian Open and subsequent slide in the WTA rankings, according to official match records and rankings data.
Paula Badosa, a former world No. 2 and 2025 Australian Open semifinalist, entered the Abu Dhabi main draw after late changes cleared the way for Sasnovich, who had lost in qualifying but replaced an injured entrant as a “lucky loser,” tournament reports said. In a three-set match on the hard courts of Abu Dhabi, Sasnovich defeated Badosa 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to advance.
The 28-year-old Spaniard, whose career includes four WTA singles titles and a peak ranking at No. 2 in 2022, had been aiming to regain form after an injury-affected 2025 campaign and mixed results early this year. Official Women’s Tennis Association statistics show she entered the match ranked outside the top 60, with a 2-3 win-loss record in 2026 prior to Abu Dhabi.
Paula Badosa had secured a first-round victory at the Australian Open before falling in the second round, and her recent results have been cited by tennis analysts as indicative of ongoing struggles to find consistent match play and fitness.
Her first-round loss in Abu Dhabi came amid a broader drop in the WTA rankings, with recent ranking updates showing Badosa falling nearly 40 places, reflecting the impact of early exits in key tournaments.
Paula Badosa next scheduled events have not been officially confirmed, and it remains to be seen how she will adjust her playing schedule for the remainder of the 2026 season. The story is developing.
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