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Paula Badosa with Indian Wells WTA trophy
Tennis News, WTA Tennis Players

‘Nothing is impossible!’ – Paula Badosa downs Victoria Azarenka to claim Indian Wells crown


Paula Badosa declared ‘nothing is impossible’ after beating Victoria Azarenka 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 to win Indian Wells.

It was Badosa’s maiden appearance in the tournament, and she has followed Bianca Andreescu and Serena Williams in taking the trophy home at the first attempt.

Badosa had to come back from the brink of losing, with Azarenka breaking for a 5-4 lead in the third.

However, after more than three hours of scintillating tennis, Badosa overpowered the world number one in the decisive tiebreak to claim her second career title.

“I remember when I was 14, 15 years old seeing you,” Badosa told Azarenka. “I told my coach, ‘One day I hope I can play like her.’

“It was like a roller coaster mentally, emotionally,

“The first thing I learned this week is that nothing is impossible.”

Azarenka added: “We were both going for our shots, really pushing each other to the max.

“This year has been challenging a bit,” she said, “but finishing on a strong note, not necessarily with the result I wanted but with the progress I wanted to seek, that’s really positive.”


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Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.