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Going into their quarterfinal matchup at the Silicon Valley Classic tournament, Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff were seen being escorted by two adorable puppies.
While players are frequently accompanied by local kids as they entered the court, the Silicon Valley Classic took the custom to a new level by having players make their entrance while toting puppies, which are available for adoption from the Humane Society in Silicon Valley.
The two puppies, named Venus and Tucker, got the crowd cheering enthusiastically even before the action began.
On the court, Badosa got the better of Gauff. She beat the No. 6 seed American in straight sets to reach the semifinals in San Jose, where she will lock horns with Daria Kasatkina.
Gauff earned the first break of the game and served for the set at 5-4, but Badosa rallied to win the opening set in a tiebreak. She then dominated the second set to seal a 7-6 (4), 6-2 win and progress on to her fourth semifinal of the season.
"Mentally, it’s tough to play players like her; She has everything to be a great champion" - Paula Badosa on Coco Gauff
Paula Badosa praised Coco Gauff after her 29th victory of the season and acknowledged that the American has what it takes to be a "great champion".
"I had to be quite consistent in at the baseline, she’s a great runner; she’s aggressive; she has everything to be a great champion. But in the moment, I had to be more consistent. I’m happy about this win because it was an important one for me," Badosa said, via the San Francisco Chronicle.
The World No. 4 remarked that Gauff has a powerful serve and that competing against someone like her is mentally demanding.
"The beginning was tough was she was she started serving well. For me, trying to find rhythm is to play a lot of long, long points. So I was trying to find that and to return her serve a little bit more because she has a big, big serve," she said.
"Mentally, it’s tough to play players like her because maybe on the return you don’t have many option, and then in in your serve, you have a little bit more pressure, " she added.
