Gauff sent packing, falls to Badosa in Australian Open quarterfinals

With Jessica Pegula eliminated by Olga Danilovic two rounds ago, Coco Gauff was America’s last hope for a women’s singles title in the 2025 Australian Open.

Gauff’s opponent in the quarterfinals, Spanish star Paula Badosa, had never advanced further than the quarterfinals in any Grand Slam event in her career. But, all streaks must come to an end.

No. 3 seed Gauff, the heavy favorite in the match, would wind up losing in straight sets (7-5, 6-4) to Badosa, the No. 11 seed. This was Badosa’s first ever win over a top-10 opponent at a major, and it also propelled her to her first Grand Slam semifinal.

A victory over Badosa would’ve given Gauff her second consecutive semifinal appearance at the Australian Open, but now she’ll have to wait for Roland Garros in May, where she fell in the semifinals of the French Open a year ago.

Here’s everything to know about Gauff’s loss and what to expect moving forward:

Highlights from Gauff’s Australian Open defeat

Who does Paula Badosa play next at Australian Open?

With her win over Gauff in the quarterfinals, Badosa will now face the winner of world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 33 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the Australian Open semifinals. Sabalenka plays Pavlyuchenkova in a night session match Tuesday in Australia (3:30 a.m. ET).

When is the next women’s Grand Slam event?

Gauff’s next shot at her second career Grand Slam title will be at Roland Garros in Paris. The French Open is scheduled to begin on May 25 this year, with the final matches played on June 8.

When are the Australian Open finals?

With the quarterfinals in progress, the finals are on the horizon. The women’s semifinals are scheduled for Thursday in Melbourne, while the final is set for Saturday, Jan. 25. The time for the match has yet to be determined, but it will be played at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fastDownload for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY