Paula Badosa became the newest member of the WTA top 10 just seven months after hovering at world No.71.
It marked the latest step in an astonishing rise up the rankings for Badosa, who became just the fifth Spanish woman in history to enter this elite group.
“One year ago I was (ranked) 90 in the world. I think I won two matches in my life at a 1000 tournament. And now I'm in a final one year after, it's crazy, I still can't believe it,” said Badosa in October after advancing to the final at Indian Wells — a tournament she would go on to win.
That triumph marked the high point of a breakout season for the 24-year-old, during which she reached the quarterfinal stage or better at eight events and debuted at the prestigious season-ending WTA Finals.
Badosa turned a corner late last season, and that’s where we begin as we chart her journey toward the very top of the sport.
4 October 2020: Reaches fourth round at Roland Garros
Badosa first appeared in Grand Slam main draws in 2019 and by 2020 she was already making an impression, upsetting major champions Sloane Stephens and Jelena Ostapenko in back-to-back matches to reach the last 16 at Roland Garros. By reaching the semifinals at her previous tournament in Istanbul, Badosa trimmed her ranking by 25 places in less than six weeks.
(Rankings rise after Roland Garros: +18 to world No.69)
10 April 2021: Defeats world No.1 Barty to reach Charleston semis
In the six months following her Parisian breakthrough, Badosa lingered around 70th in the rankings, even with her semifinal finish in Lyon in March. But it was in Charleston, on clay, where she really began making moves. She progressed to her first 500-level semifinal in Charleston by stunning world No.1 Ash Barty in straight sets — her first ever victory over a top 10 player.
(Rankings move after Charleston: +9 places to world No.62)
5 May 2021: Records biggest semifinal to date in Madrid
Bigger things awaited the Spaniard on home soil in Madrid. As a wildcard, she beat Barbora Krejcikova — who a just weeks later won the French Open — in the first round and eighth seed Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals to notch her first WTA 1000 semifinal. She then faced Barty, who avenged her Charleston defeat, but by this point Badosa was gathering some serious momentum.
(Rankings rise after Madrid: +20 places to world No.42)
23 May 2021: Wins first career title in Belgrade
This momentum showed in the Serbian capital, where Badosa continued to thrive on clay. She tore through the draw without the loss of a set, ultimately prevailing over an injured Ana Konjuh in her first ever tour-level final. It marked her first title of any kind since she won a minor ITF 25K event in Japan in October 2019.
(Rankings rise after Belgrade: +10 places to world No.34)
6 June 2021: Reaches first Grand Slam QF at Roland Garros
Having returned to the second week at Roland Garros, Badosa’s 6-4 3-6 6-2 fourth-round victory over 2019 finalist Marketa Vondorousova marked a Grand Slam breakthrough. She very nearly reached the semifinals before losing 8-6 in the third set to Tamara Zidansek — a result snapping her nine-match winning streak. Badosa finished the clay-court season with a sparkling 17-3 record and during that time improved her ranking almost 40 places.
(Rankings rise after Roland Garros: +2 places to world No.33)
3 July 2021: Hits second week of Wimbledon, cracks top 30
Badosa backed up her Roland Garros quarterfinal on clay with a run to the fourth round on grass at Wimbledon — an impressive result given it came on a vastly different surface at a tournament where she had never before won a match.
(Rankings rise after Wimbledon: +4 places to world No.29)
20 August 2021: Notches seventh quarterfinal of season in Cincinnati
Badosa continued to transition smoothly between surfaces, beating top-20 star Elena Rybakina to advance to the Cincinnati quarters after upsetting world No.3 Aryna Sabalenka in the previous round. Despite ultimately retiring with injury against Karolina Pliskova, another strong showing at a WTA 1000-level event pushed her to the brink of the top 25.
(Rankings rise after Cincinnati: +3 places to world No.26)
18 October 2021: Wins biggest career title at Indian Wells
The slow gritty hard courts of the Californian desert proved the perfect conditions for Badosa. She used her heavy forehand, fitness and athleticism to full effect, beating four straight top-15 seeds — Coco Gauff, Barbora Krejcikova, Angelique Kerber and Ons Jabeur — in straight sets to reach the final. There she out-duelled two-time major champion Victoria Azarenka 7-6(5) 2-6 7-6(2) in an epic three-hour contest that was a candidate for match of the year.
(Rankings rise after Indian Wells: +14 places to world No.13)
8 November 2021: Cracks top 10
Just two weeks after securing one of the eight spots at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Badosa rose from 11th to 10th in the rankings. She became just the fifth Spanish woman to achieve the feat, after Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Conchita Martinez, Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro, since the introduction of the rankings in 1975.