SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah Hockey Club captain Clayton Keller went to the locker room a minute into the second period against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night after a puck struck him in the face.

A shot from teammate Michael Kesselring was deflected high and the puck struck Keller. He immediately ripped off his helmet, skated off the ice, and headed to the locker room.

Keller received 12 stitches, eventually returning to the ice with 4:40 left in the second with swelling and a cut above his eye. He assisted on Utah's first goal of the game 40 seconds later and added an empty-netter late in the 5-2 win over the Jets.

"I'm feeling great," he said after the win. "I got lucky, it didn't catch my eye. When it happened, it happened so fast, I didn't really feel much. You know, I tried to look through my eye, and I knew I could. So, I really wasn't too worried after that."

Keller has 10 goals and 20 assists over his past 22 games. He had a goal and three assists in Utah's 4-2 win over St. Louis on Saturday, matching his NHL career high with four points.

"It's a little tough sometimes, just because you're so locked in," Keller said of the wait before he returned to action. "You have a ton of energy, and then I was kind of sitting there for 20 minutes just laying down on my back. So, when I came back out, I just tried to get my legs into it, and be simple."

Keller leads the expansion club in points (50) and assists (34) this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Following his team's 34-23 loss to Ohio State in Monday night's College Football Playoff national championship game, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman sat in the middle of his two teary-eyed team captains and took ownership for a multitude of mistakes that were ultimately too much to overcome when it mattered the most.

With quarterback Riley Leonard sitting to his right, and sixth-year senior linebacker Jack Kiser on his left, Freeman said there were uncharacteristic mistakes and breakdowns in communication that put the Irish in a 24-point hole in the third quarter they couldn't overcome.

"You're always making mistakes, but those type of detrimental mistakes when you play a really, really good football team cost you points," Freeman said. "I think that's probably the biggest thing that has stuck out to me even in between series, the communication. 'Hey, we're good, we got it.' Well, we can't make mistakes. It falls on my shoulders. And as the head coach, we have to prepare and be better prepared for this moment. These guys gave everything they got."

Notre Dame, which was seeking its first national title since 1988, snapped a 13-game winning streak and suffered its first loss since Sept. 7 against Northern Illinois. After opening with an 18-play, 75-yard scoring drive during which Leonard ran nine times for 34 carries, including the game's first touchdown, Notre Dame's offense fell flat.

Leonard completed just one pass over five yards downfield in the first half, and two of his five completions were thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage. His average completion was just 2.2 yards downfield.

"We couldn't run Riley every play," Freeman said. "It's not right for Riley, and it's not going to sustain the success we needed offensively. We ran him a whole bunch that first series, and you look at the second series, we had two penalties which ended up forcing us to punt, and in the third series we had the miscommunication with the muffed snap, and that's the end of the half."

After the game, Leonard apologized "to everybody for the way that I played after that drive in the second quarter because it's unacceptable." He finished with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdowns, becoming the second FBS player this season with 20 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing.

"You see the next three drives after that, penalties and miscommunications," Leonard said. "And all that stuff is on me. That first drive we just came out and played Notre Dame football, took advantage of our match-ups when we had to. We just drove the ball down the field. We had to run the ball a little bit. Everything was just clicking.

"Then the next couple drives maybe I got relaxed a little bit, and I can't let that happen," he said. " ... These are things that aren't necessarily physical but just like the mental side of things that I can't make certain mistakes. I've just got to live with that and respond."

In the first half, 20 of Ohio State's 33 plays were run in Notre Dame territory (61%). Notre Dame couldn't get off the field on third down, and Ohio State quarterback Will Howard completed each of his first 13 passes, and he was 11-11 in the first half targeting wide receivers.

There was one completion, though, that might be remembered more than the rest. With 2:38 left in the game, Ohio State was facing a third-and-11 from their own 34-yard line when Howard connected with freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith for a 56-yard completion. It was the first time he was targeted in the second half -- and all he needed. The play eventually set up Ohio State's 33-yard field goal that sealed the win.

"It was do or die," Freeman said. "It was that type of down. If they run it and they get a 1st down -- we've got to get them stopped, and we thought at that moment the best way to get them stopped is to run zero pressure. We have to have faith at some point that we can make a play.

"There was times in the second half that we did in man coverage, but he's a heck of a player," Freeman said of Smith. "He's difficult to cover. You want to play zone, and they'll find ways to pick you apart. You want to play man, they'll find ways to get him the ball. It's a talented offense, with that situation right there."

Kiser, who had a hard time reflecting on his time at Notre Dame without getting choked up, said in spite of the loss, Notre Dame is heading in the right direction.

"I think when you look at the six years I've been here, what I remember is the people," said Kiser, who got an encouraging pat on his knee from Freeman while he was talking. "From when I was a small underclassman just trying to learn the ways, looking at a Drew White, Bo Bauer, to being a guy running with my boys in JD and Marist, and then this year coming back and feeling like I had a chip on my shoulder and getting to meet amazing guys like Riley coming in and just kind of going on the journey we went on.

"To have Coach Freeman -- yeah, it's about the people," he said, his voice breaking up. "It's the people that's made this place different."

In the fourth quarter, on fourth-and-goal from the 9-yard line, Freeman opted to try a 27-yard field goal instead of keeping the offense on the field. Mitch Jeter's kick said into the left upright, and the metallic clink of the ricochet could be heard in Mercedez Benz Stadium. Ohio State coach Ryan Day raised both of his hands in the air in celebration.

Freeman said that had it been a shorter fourth-down, he probably would have gone for it. Notre Dame finished this season 4-for-10 on kicks inside the 40 this season, the worst field goal percentage on those kicks in the FBS.

"I just thought instead of being down 16, let's try to go down 13," he said. "I know it's still a two-score game, but you have a better probability of getting 14 points than you do 16 points. If it was a shorter fourth and goal situation, I probably would have gone for it, but I just felt fourth and nine was not a great chance for us to make that and decided to kick it, and we didn't make it."

Still, Freeman said the journey Notre Dame has been on this season and the players in the locker room made him better.

"You sit up here and you listen to these two guys speak and the passion they have for Notre Dame and each other in that locker room, I'm just sitting here listening like this is one of the greatest gifts in life is to be able to be the leader of this program because you have great young people like this that share the blame -- share the success when you win and own the blame when you lose. "But I'm better because of them," he said.

"But we just have to be better. I've got to make sure we prepare better for this next opportunity that we have in the future."

The top two favorites to win next season's College Football Playoff will square off in Week 1, when Ohio State hosts Texas on Aug. 30.

The Longhorns and defending-champion Buckeyes enter the offseason as the favorites to win the 2025-26 College Football Playoff at sportsbooks. Texas, which is poised to begin the Arch Manning era, opened as the national title favorite at +450 at ESPN BET, followed by the Buckeyes (+500) and Georgia (+600). Ohio State is the favorite at other sportsbooks, but those three teams top the early odds across the betting market.

Oregon and Penn State, each at +750, and round out the teams with odds shorter than 10-1 in ESPN BET's opening numbers.

Ohio State held off Notre Dame in Monday's championship game to win the national title, capping a dominant CFP run. The Fighting Irish opened at +1500 to win next season's title at ESPN BET.

Manning is expected to be the Longhorns' starter with quarterback Quinn Ewers declaring for the NFL draft. FanDuel has Manning as the second-favorite to win next season's Heisman Trophy, behind LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

The transfer portal has added to the challenges sportsbooks face when creating odds to win the next season's championship.

"We will take our power ratings for 2025 and make the proper adjustments to account for recruiting, returning production and transfer portal changes," Joey Feazel, trader at Caesars Sportsbook, said. "It is a challenging process at times, but year after year, we are getting better at it." The preseason betting favorite to win the national championship has not won it since Alabama in 2017.

ATLANTA -- Maybe Ohio State football fans will like coach Ryan Day now.

Fifty-one days after suffering the worst loss of his career, Day guided the No. 8 Buckeyes to their first national championship in 10 years with a 34-23 victory over No. 7 Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T on Monday night.

The Buckeyes led the Irish 31-7 midway through the third quarter, but the Irish kept fighting and pulled to within one score and a two-point conversion with 4:15 remaining. Quarterback Riley Leonard threw a 30-yard touchdown to Jaden Greathouse with 3:03 left in the third. Leonard tossed a two-point play to tailback Jeremiyah Love to make it 31-15.

Then, after a late defensive stop, Leonard found Greathouse again for a 30-yard touchdown. Leonard's pass to Beaux Collins on a two-point play pulled the Irish within 31-15 with 4:15 remaining in the game.

The Buckeyes finally put the Irish away for good when quarterback Will Howard threw a deep ball to freshman Jeremiah Smith, who beat cornerback Christian Gray for a 56-yard gain to the Irish 10. That led to Jayden Fielding's 33-yard field goal that put the Buckeyes up 11 with 26 seconds left.

ATLANTA -- Seven weeks and two days ago, Ohio State coach Ryan Day watched as Michigan planted its flag at midfield inside the Horseshoe, chaos ensuing: fans chanting "F--- Ryan Day," his players both fighting back and walking around dazed, the rival Wolverines celebrating.

Seven weeks and two days ago, what unfolded Monday night felt unimaginable: joy, celebration, triumph, Day right in the middle, the whole of Buckeye Nation now back in his corner.

After that devastating loss to Michigan, the first expanded 12-team College Football Playoff delivered a chance at salvation. And the Buckeyes took advantage from the start, outscoring their four postseason opponents by a combined score of 145-75, culminating with a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame for the program's seventh national championship.

"No great accomplishments are ever achieved without going through adversity," Day said. "That's just the truth." No team has benefited from the College Football Playoff quite like the Buckeyes.

In 2014, they were ranked No. 4 in the inaugural four-team field, beating No. 1 Alabama, then No. 2 Oregon behind third-string quarterback Cardale Jones to hoist the first championship trophy of the CFP era.

This year, they were the No. 8 seed in the first 12-team field. The loss to Michigan -- Ohio State's fourth straight in the series -- kept them out of the Big Ten title game. And in any previous season, it would have kept them out of the playoff. But thanks to playoff expansion, the Buckeyes made it when the bracket was revealed Dec. 8.

The future still looked bleak.

Speculation swirled around Day and whether his disgruntled fan base could accept another failure in a season built for a national championship run.

A team meeting after the Michigan loss got heated. Feelings were hashed out, grievances aired.

"There's multiple ways that you can respond to adversity in life, and that adversity brought us closer as an entire group," receiver Emeka Egbuka said. "We were able to lift each other up in that moment, and we've gotten stronger because of it."

Michigan would be their catalyst.

TWELVE MONTHS AND 12 days ago, cornerback Denzel Burke made sure to watch the 2024 national championship game all the way to the end so he could see rival Michigan hold up the trophy following a 34-13 win over Washington. He had the game on his phone while at dinner with teammate Lathan Ransom and was so hurt, he had to walk into the bathroom to cool off.

There is no fun in losing to your rival; even less fun is watching your rival win the national championship. Michigan beat Ohio State and won it all last season, thanks in part to a veteran group that put off the NFL to return to school to try and win a championship.

Day wanted the same for the Buckeyes in 2024. To get the better of Michigan, Ohio State would have to be like Michigan. Well, at least in one way. With $20 million to spend in NIL, Ohio State went about convincing its top players to return to school, too. Defensive end Jack Sawyer, who grew up in nearby Pickerington, Ohio, as a huge Buckeyes fan, led the charge.

Within short order, he and seven others -- defensive end JT Tuimoloau, tailback TreVeyon Henderson, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, defensive tackle Ty Hamilton, offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, Egbuka and Burke -- put off the NFL to come back to school for one more year.

"It just kind of fueled our fire a little bit to come back and hoist the national championship trophy," Burke said. "To be able to see them win it all like that, we wanted a piece of that."

Player retention and development has been huge: The Buckeyes started 19 players who signed with the school and have combined for more than 520 starts. Many in the signing class of 2021, the foundation for this team, returned because they had contributed nothing to the trophy case inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and refused to let their careers end that way.

"This might be the biggest example of selflessness I have ever been a part of," linebacker Cody Simon said. "So many guys had the opportunity to go first round, second round in the NFL draft. They all came back to play another year together.

"I commend all those guys who made a decision and all the guys who came in who were outside of our program because it takes a lot to get this all to work together."

Day signed a top-tier recruiting class, including receiver Jeremiah Smith, and brought in key transfer portal acquisitions -- quarterback Will Howard, safety Caleb Downs and running back Quinshon Judkins chief among them. Ohio State would enter 2024 as one of the most talented teams in the country. Expectations were clear from the start.

"At this time last year, which is crazy to think about, guys decided to come back and put their personal goals aside to achieve this goal," Ransom said. "It's pretty special. I hate when people say, 'Win or bust,' but we did everything to come back to win."

Day knew he needed something to help his players best understand the journey on which they were about to embark. In their first preseason meeting last year, Day showed the team a picture of a lighthouse in the middle of a storm in the ocean. The lighthouse keeper, he told them, was counting on the lighthouse to be built with the right foundation to withstand the storm.

Then he told the story of three bricklayers building St. Paul's Cathedral, and the importance of each brick being laid the right way. He told the players that every day after practice, he would hand out a scarlet and gray brick to one player. It would be his job to build a foundation for what was to come. The bricks could not be placed randomly or haphazardly. Building that foundation had to be done the right way.

Every day as players walked out to practice, they had a view of the bricks being stacked. Every day on the way back into the locker room, they had a view of the bricks being stacked. Over 100 bricks are now stacked perfectly, forming a foundational wall. "That wall is built for anything -- the fire that we went through, the perseverance that we have, and here we are now," Burke said.

"Storms are going to come," Day said. "How is the foundation built? Was it built on a true foundation of rock or of sand? We knew those storms were coming. We didn't know when, but that was ultimately going to allow us to withstand those storms."

THE BIGGEST STORM came Nov. 30. The Buckeyes entered their rivalry game against Michigan as a 20.5-point favorite, ranked No. 2 in the CFP and with massive matchup advantages up and down the depth chart.

The Wolverines lost nearly every key offensive player from their 2023 national championship team and were 6-5 under first-year coach Sherrone Moore. Two of their best players were injured for the Ohio State game.

Finally, the Ryan Day Redemption Arc would be written.

Then the game kicked off. Michigan dominated up front, handcuffing Ohio State from doing much. Inexplicably, the Buckeyes could not get the ball to Smith to make enough of a difference, and Ohio State was shut out in the second half at home for the first time in 13 years.

When the final seconds ticked off the clock, Michigan had won 13-10 in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the rivalry. As the Wolverines planted their flag at midfield, Sawyer came charging up, tearing the Michigan flag down. He could be heard on video screaming, "They're not f---ing planting the flag again on our field, bro!"

Day stood there silently, seemingly in disbelief. Though he ranks No. 1 among active head coaches in win percentage, Day has been judged by one thing: his record against Michigan. Day has gone 47-1 against all other Big Ten opponents in his career. But what did he do against the Wolverines? To date, he is 1-4. As a result, Ohio State has not won a Big Ten title since the truncated 2020 COVID-19 season, a year in which the rivals did not play.

Vitriol was directed at both Day and his players in the immediate aftermath of this season's Michigan loss, and sports talk focused on whether Day needed to win the national championship to save his job. Athletic director Ross Bjork tried to quell the speculation when he gave a vote of confidence to Day in December, telling 97.1 The Fan in Columbus, "The season's not over. The book is not closed."

In that same interview, Bjork asked his Ohio State fans not to sell their tickets to Tennessee fans for their first-round playoff game in Columbus.

"We knew that we could play better than what we presented," guard Donovan Jackson said. "So having people tell us we're trash, terrible, garbage, half of us should transfer, half of us should leave the state of Ohio. No, we know how good we are."

IN THE FOUR-TEAM CFP era, Ohio State made five playoff appearances and finished ranked No. 5 or 6 three other times. In fact, the Buckeyes ranked in the top seven in every final CFP poll, including No. 7 last year at 11-1. That lone loss to Michigan precluded them from making the four-team field.

The loss to Michigan this year served a far different purpose.

"The new format has allowed our team to grow and build throughout the season, and as much as losses hurt, they really allow us as coaches and players to take a hard look at the issues and get them addressed," Day said.

The team meeting after the Michigan game got loud and emotional. Fingers were pointed, mistakes were rehashed, but players and Day took accountability. In times of great adversity, either you fold under the pressure or you rise to greatness. Ohio State chose not to break.

"There was no other option for us," Simon said. "You go from feeling sorry for yourself to now we've got to rewrite the history for this season and this team."

Kickoff against the Vols came on a chilly night at the Shoe, three weeks removed from the Michigan loss. Nobody knew how the Buckeyes would respond.

The nation got its answer two minutes and 14 seconds into the game. Then four minutes later. Then five minutes after that. By the time the first quarter ended, Ohio State had a 21-0 lead as it overwhelmed what had been one of the best defenses in the country, while completely stymying Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and his high-powered offense.

Day said after the 42-17 win, "You could tell from the jump that they had a look in their eyes that they were going to win this game."

Next up: a rematch with No. 1 Oregon in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. The undefeated Big Ten champion Ducks handed the Buckeyes their first defeat back in October, after Howard lost track of the game clock while trying to drive for a game-winning score, running with four seconds left and sliding as time ran out in the 32-31 loss.

There would be no need for late-game heroics this time around. Once again, Ohio State bulldozed its way to a massive lead, going up 34-0 before winning 41-21. After two rounds, the Buckeyes had harnessed all their talent and potential and were playing like the "championship or bust team" many envisioned when the season began.

There was more to come. Before the semifinal against Texas at the Cotton Bowl, Day had a simple message for his team: "To leave a legacy, become your own legend."

With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, leave it to the player who dreamed about winning an Ohio State national title as a little boy throwing a football in his backyard with his dad, to do just that.

Sawyer strip-sacked Quinn Ewers on fourth-and-goal from the 8 with 2:13 left, then returned the fumble 83 yards to put the game out of reach and give the Buckeyes a 28-14 win.

The image of Day standing silently next to a riled-up Sawyer after the Michigan game was replaced with the image of Day unclipping his headset and jumping into a giant bear hug from Sawyer on the sideline screaming, "YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A hug so powerful, it appeared to break a camera the CFP had placed on Sawyer after the play.

"The resiliency of this team, from a month ago, it's been incredible," Sawyer said afterward. "I love Columbus. I love the state of Ohio. I love Ohio State football. I'm so fortunate to be playing in the national championship my last year here."

Just like the semifinal, the national championship game needed a fourth-quarter play to seal the win. This time, it was Smith and his 57-yard reception with 2:29 left that ended any Notre Dame comeback hopes.

Ohio State trailed for the first time in this CFP after the Fighting Irish opened the game with a clock-busting drive that nearly lasted 10 minutes and ended with a Riley Leonard touchdown run.

Then the Buckeyes showed off their wealth of depth and talent during a critical portion of the game -- the rest of the first half and start of the second -- pulling ahead and proving right those who chose them in the preseason to bring home another national championship. Their offensive line opened up huge holes for Henderson and Judkins while allowing virtually no one to come near Howard. The Notre Dame defense was flummoxed -- alternating between man and zone -- unable to answer for Judkins nor for a mobile Howard, who was all too eager to take off when the running lanes opened. Ohio State converted all six of its third-down attempts in the first half, and Howard opened the game with 13 straight completions -- a record for most completions to start a national championship game.

The Buckeyes raced out to a 28-7 lead after their first series of the third quarter and then held on against an inspired Notre Dame effort. In the end, they raised their arms in victory.

They may not be able to call themselves Big Ten champions. They may not have a win over That Team Up North.

But the Buckeyes have something to celebrate that is theirs, and only theirs: the national championship.

Chicago Bulls rookie forward Matas Buzelis and San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle have committed to two of the four spots in the slam dunk contest during NBA All-Star Weekend, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The dunk contest, which will be held Feb. 15 inside San Francisco's Chase Center, will feature multiple rookies for the second straight year after Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. and New York's Jacob Toppin participated in 2024.

Buzelis, selected by the Bulls with the 11th pick last June, has played fewer than 13 minutes per game for Chicago but is no stranger to All-Star Weekend, participating in the 2024 Rising Stars game as part of a team made up of G Leaguers.

Castle, taken fourth by San Antonio, has emerged as a contender for rookie of the year as the floor-general-in-waiting for Victor Wembanyama's Spurs. Castle is coming off the best stretch of his rookie campaign, headlined by three straight 20-point performances last week.

An NBA player hasn't won the dunk contest since 2022, with G Leaguer Mac McClung taking home back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.

SAN FRANCISCO -- As Stephen Curry exited the game for good near the end of the third quarter, with the Boston Celtics up by 32 on their way to a 40-point blowout victory over the Warriors, he probably hadn't felt further away from Golden State's 2022 NBA championship than he did on Monday.

After suffering the worst home defeat of the Steve Kerr era with a 125-85 loss at Chase Center, Curry noted how the Celtics are everything the Warriors are not at the moment.

Curry talked about how Boston has the same core from its 2022 NBA Finals team with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown but have even more confidence after winning the Finals last season.

"Yeah, we have an entirely different roster pretty much, obviously," Curry said of the Warriors as compared to their 2021-22 squad. "Especially without Draymond [Green] out there. But you look [at what] they have, besides [Kristaps] Porzingis, they have pretty much the whole rotation still, and they are the defending champs.

"So, they're coming in with a level of confidence and swagger about 'em, and it's the exact opposite of what we have right now. So yeah, obviously great memories, but definitely feels like a long time ago."

The Warriors hold out hope that they can turn this season around, get into the playoffs and surprise everyone like they did in 2022, when they beat Boston 4-2 in the Finals.

But they are 21-21 and hobbled by injuries to crucial players. Green did not play Monday, and he will be out at least a week with a mild calf strain. Jonathan Kuminga injured his right ankle on Jan. 4 and was ruled out for at least three weeks, though he likely will need longer to return. Brandin Podziemski has been out with an abdomen injury, and Kyle Anderson did not play due to a glute injury.

Since starting the season off 12-3, the Warriors have gone 9-18. They are currently in a nine-game stretch in which eight are at Chase Center.

Curry was asked if the Warriors can use this stretch to stay afloat with the injuries to Green and Kuminga.

"It's incredibly significant for our season," Curry said. "You'd hope to be a better home team than you are on the road. ... We'll see how we respond to it and if we can take advantage of this stretch. Tonight was not great; Captain Obvious statement.

"But just the idea that we can keep ourselves afloat until we get some guys back can kind of make or break our season to be honest, to keep it real. ... Nobody's counting game-by-game type thing, but a six- to eight-game stretch can kind of define where we are going forward the rest of the season."

The Celtics (30-13) hit 20 3-pointers on Monday, with Tatum leading the way with 22 points.

Curry, with his 18 points, was just one of two Warriors to score in double figures.

Kerr is hopeful that Podziemski and Anderson will be able to return later in the week. The Warriors will play at the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday before facing the Chicago Bulls at home on Thursday. The Los Angeles Lakers will visit Golden State on Saturday.

The Warriors will need to put up much more than the 85 points they scored against Boston. It was the lowest output in a home game in which Curry has played under Kerr. The 40-point margin also represented the worst home defeat for Golden State since a 45-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 1985.

"Seems like an eternity ago," Warriors center Kevon Looney said when asked how long ago the 2022 NBA championship feels like. "We have had a lot of iterations of the team since then. Each season brings on a new challenge. That year seems further and further away. But hopefully, we can get back to that feeling of being a champion. But we got a long way to go."

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Coco Gauff's forehand and serve abandoned her in the worst way and at the worst time at the Australian Open on Tuesday, and the No. 3-seeded American was eliminated in the quarterfinals by No. 11 Paula Badosa of Spain 7-5, 6-4.

Gauff entered the match at Rod Laver Arena with a 9-0 record in 2025 and on a 13-match winning streak that dated to her title at the WTA Finals in November. Using tweaks to some key strokes to great effect in the hopes of earning a second Grand Slam title at age 20, the 2023 US Open champion had only dropped one set through four matches at Melbourne Park this year.

"She's full of confidence. But I'm playing well, too," Badosa said ahead of the contest. "I'm ready to face her."

Was she ever. And Badosa now heads to her first Grand Slam semifinal at age 27.

Gauff finished with 41 unforced errors, a total that included six double-faults -- including on the last point of the game that put Badosa ahead 5-2 in the second set -- and 28 missed forehands.

She never earned so much as a single break point until after she already trailed by a set and a break in the second.

Badosa reached a career-best ranking of No. 2 in 2022, but then dealt with a serious back injury that had her contemplating ending her tennis career.

"I would never think that, a year after, I would be here," Badosa said. "I've been through a lot. In the past, I was one of the best players in the world."

She next will go up against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion in Melbourne, or No. 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the runner-up at the 2021 French Open. Their quarterfinal was to be played Tuesday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.