Paula Badosa rallied from a set down to defeat Tamara Zidansek 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 in a wildly fluctuating first-round match at the WTA Iasi. The Spaniard survived a poor serving performance—10 double faults and just 1 of 9 break points saved—by keeping the pressure on return, converting 8 of 24 break opportunities across the two-hour-48-minute battle.
The first set saw seven breaks in the first nine games, with Zidansek pulling away to take it 6-3 after breaking Badosa at 3-6. Badosa struck back in the second, breaking early for 1-0 before Zidansek twice moved ahead, leading 3-5. Badosa then won three consecutive games, breaking at 4-5 and 6-5 to force a decider. The final set was a rollercoaster: both players traded breaks at 4-3, 4-4, 5-4 and 5-5 before Badosa won the tiebreak 7-6.
Badosa's return game was decisive: she won 64 return points to Zidansek's 43 and claimed eight service breaks despite dropping her own serve nine times. Her 11% break-point save rate was the worst of any set, but she held firm in the tiebreak after twice failing to serve out the match, securing victory when Zidansek netted a forehand.