Aryna Sabalenka moved one win away from becoming the first woman since 1999 to win three consecutive Australian Open titles, recovering from a slow start to beat good friend Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2 Thursday night to return to the final.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Aryna Sabalenka continued her charge towards a third-straight Australian Open title by overwhelming her “soulmate” Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2 in Thursday evening’s semifinal.

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka looks unstoppable once again at the. The two-time champion raced past Paula Badosa to become the first woman to make three consecutive finals at Melbourne Park since Serena Williams.

Aryna Sabalenka has been through to her third consecutive Australian Open final after beating best friend Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2. Playing in her maiden Grand Slam semifinal, the 11th-seeded Spaniard came out firing and she claimed an early break for a 2-0 lead and even had 40/0 on her serve.

Aryna Sabalenka will face close friend Paula Badosa in the semi-finals of the Australian Open after battling to victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The two-time defending champion’s 18-match winning run at Melbourne Park looked in serious danger when she lost the second set on a windy Rod Laver Arena.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka put her close friendship with Paula Badosa aside Thursday to sweep past the Spaniard into a third successive Australian Open final and stay on track for a 26-year first.

By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Double defending champion Aryna Sabalenka overwhelmed Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2 with a impressive display of raw power to reach her third successive Australian Open final on Thursday.

SportsLine's Jose Onorato reveals his picks for the 2025 Australian Open women's semifinal match between Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa on Thursday