Claire Liu in focus as Dart reaches Guangzhou semi-final
Britain's Harriet Dart reached the second WTA Tour semi-final of her career by beating fifth seed Paula Badosa 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 at the Guangzhou Open in China. She will face Claire Liu or Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran in Saturday's last four after coming through qualifying.
The 30-year-old Brit, ranked 115th in the world, overturned a set deficit against Spain's Badosa — ranked 54 places above her — in two hours and 15 minutes at Nansha International Tennis Centre. For fans of Bizarre News & Florida Man sports shocks, this was a classic underdog run.
Key Takeaways
- Dart beat fifth seed Paula Badosa 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 to reach her second career WTA Tour semi-final.
- Claire Liu or 16-year-old Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran awaits Dart in Saturday's last four.
- Dart came through qualifying and had already beaten second seed Janice Tjen in the previous round.
- Badosa needed two medical timeouts and appeared to struggle with the heat late on.
How did Harriet Dart beat Paula Badosa?
According to BBC Sport, Dart lost her opening service game in the first set but broke back to level at 3-3. Badosa broke again for a 5-3 lead and closed out the opener.
The pair exchanged breaks at the start of the second set before Dart took control to level the match. In the decider, Badosa saved a match point at 5-3 and broke Dart's serve, then ran out of steam as Dart won the next service game to love.
"It was an incredible battle. I thought Paula started really strongly," Dart said. "I really needed to hang in there during the tough moments and wait for a chance."
Who is Claire Liu facing next in Guangzhou?
Claire Liu is due to contest a semi-final berth against 16-year-old Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran. The winner meets Dart on Saturday for a place in the Guangzhou Open final.
Dart's only previous WTA Tour semi-final came at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, where she lost in straight sets to Karolina Pliskova. "It's been a very long time since I've been in the business end of the tournament so I am really excited for that," she said.
Why does this result matter for Claire Liu and Dart?
For Dart, reaching a second career semi-final after a qualifying campaign underlines a rare deep run on the WTA Tour. Beating a higher-ranked seed in Badosa (world No. 61) and previously second seed Janice Tjen adds weight to the story.
Claire Liu's path remains unfinished until her last-four qualifier is settled, but Saturday's semi-final against Dart — if Liu advances — would pit two players chasing a breakthrough final appearance. Tennis is stressful, Dart noted, and simply competing again at that stage is a big opportunity.