Paula Badosa battled through a mid-match medical timeout to defeat Anhelina Kalinina 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of the WTA event in Iasi on Tuesday.
The Spaniard took an early 4-1 lead in the opening set before leaving the court for treatment on an inner thigh issue. She returned with her leg bandaged and dropped the next two games but regained control to close out the set and dominate the second.
The victory marked Badosa’s sixth straight win and improved her season record to 22-15. It also lifted her live ranking four places to No. 111 as she targets a return to the top 100 before the US Open main-draw deadline on July 20.
Badosa is scheduled to face Russian qualifier Alevtina Ibragimova in the second round on Thursday, July 16. A semifinal appearance would place her provisionally at No. 99.