Paula Badosa is not chasing the best players on the WTA Tour anymore — she's one of them now.
So the next challenge for the Spanish player, who has spent the entire season inside the Top 10, is to get adjusted to playing under the weight of higher expectations.
Badosa is currently ranked No. 4 in the world and enters the Pan Pacific Open this week as the top seed in a field that includes former No. 1 players Naomi Osaka, the local favorite, Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova. Current world No. 6 Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, this year’s Wimbledon champion, are also in the main draw.
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