By Fatma Younis
Great Britain's Harriet Dart reached the semi-finals of the Guangzhou Open for only the second time in her career after rallying from a set down to defeat fifth seed Paula Badosa 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 on Friday.
Comeback victory
Badosa dominated the opening set, clinching it 6-3, but required medical attention twice during the match. Dart seized the momentum, breaking serve three times to claim the second set 6-2 and then edged a tight third set 6-4. The 30-year-old finished with a 76% win rate on her first serve, struck seven aces, and created 20 break points, converting seven.
Path to the semi-finals
Dart had to navigate two qualifying rounds before defeating Tatiana Prozorova and Janice Tjen to set up the clash with Badosa. The win marks her first WTA semi-final appearance since the 2024 Transylvania Open. She will next face either Xinran Sun or Claire Liu for a place in the final.
Dart's reaction
“It was an incredible battle. I thought Paula started really strongly. I was always behind, but I knew going in that it was going to be an incredibly tough match,” Dart said on court. “I really needed to hang in there in the tough moments, and maybe I’d get a chance. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been in the business end of a (WTA) tournament, so I’m very proud of that.”
