Dart stuns Badosa to make second career semi-final
Harriet Dart came from a set down to beat fifth seed Paula Badosa and reach the Guangzhou Open semi-finals, her second career appearance at that stage of a WTA Tour event. The win marks a strong resurgence for the British player, who has spent much of the past two seasons outside the world’s top 100 and is now close to returning to it.
Ranked 115th, Dart won 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and 15 minutes against Badosa, who was listed as 54 places above her in the rankings. Dart came through qualifying and had beaten second seed Janice Tjen in the previous round; she will face Claire Liu or 16-year-old wildcard Sun Xinran on Saturday. Since Wimbledon, Dart has won 17 of 22 tour-level matches on hard courts, and her Guangzhou run could help her qualify directly for January’s Australian Open main draw.
In short
- Dart beat fifth seed Badosa in three sets.
- She reached her second career WTA Tour semi-final.
- Her recent form puts her close to the top 100.
Explained simply
The Guangzhou Open is a women’s tennis tournament on the WTA Tour, the circuit for professional players. A semi-final is the round before the final, so reaching one puts a player within a win of a chance to compete for the title.
Harriet Dart is a British player, while Paula Badosa represents Spain. World rankings compare players’ results over time and help determine tournament seedings; seeded players are given a higher position in the draw based on their ranking.
Dart has spent much of the past two seasons outside the top 100, and a strong run can improve her ranking and prospects of entering major tournaments. The Australian Open, held in January, is one of tennis’s four Grand Slam events.
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