Aryna Sabalenka remains on course for a historic third straight Australian Open title after beating No. 11 seed and close friend Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2 in Thursday’s first semifinal.

The first of two Australian Open women’s singles semifinals is set for an early Thursday morning start in Melbourne as No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka battles No. 11 Paula Badosa.

Aryna Sabalenka will get the opportunity to shoot for a third consecutive Australian Open title after thrashing Paula Badosa in the semi-final at Rod Laver Arena.

Paula Badosa joked that rival Aryna Sabalenka could now buy her "something really expensive" after being offered a shopping trip by her opponent following their Australian Open semi-final. Playing in her first Grand Slam final four clash, the Spaniard was no match for the defending champion, going down 6-4 6-2.

The semifinal matches are scheduled to start at 3:30 a.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Fans looking to watch can do so through FuboTV, which offers a free trial and $30 off your first month, or DirecTV Stream, which also offers a free trial. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but does have other promotional offers available.

In the latest ‘Sabadosa’ installment, the two-time defending champion pulled away from best friend Paula Badosa, 6-4, 6-2, to claim Thursday evening’s first semifinal on Rod Laver Arena. Sabalenka delivered 32 winners to 21 unforced errors throughout the 86-minute victory.

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.

Aryna Sabalenka (No. 1 ranking) will face Paula Badosa (No. 12) in the semifinals at the Australian Open on Thursday, January 23.Sabalenka secured a three-set victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

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 and return to the final.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Aryna Sabalenka reaches her third straight Australian Open final by beating Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Paula Badosa in straight sets at the Australian Open 2025 semifinals. The Belarusian will face 14th ranked Madison Keys at the finals which is scheduled to take place on 25th January at Rod Laver Arena.