Aryna Sabalenka’s reign at Melbourne Park continues. The World No.1 stormed into her third consecutive Australian Open final on Thursday night, dispatching Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2 to extend her unbeaten streak at the tournament to 20 matches.
With the victory, Sabalenka now stands on the brink of a historic achievement: becoming the first woman since Martina Hingis (1997-1999) to win three consecutive Australian Open titles.
Badosa, the No.11 seed, started strong under a partially open Rod Laver Arena roof, breaking early to take a 2-0 lead and holding triple game point for 3-0. But Sabalenka’s composure and firepower quickly turned the tide.
An intense eight-minute game saw the Belarusian claw back the break, igniting a streak of four consecutive games to take control of the first set. From there, Sabalenka dominated, closing out the match in just under 90 minutes.
“I just stayed focused on my game,” Sabalenka said post-match. “Even when I was down early, I knew I had the tools to turn it around.”
Badosa, playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal, showed promise throughout the tournament, notably defeating World No.3 Coco Gauff for her first Top 10 victory at a major. The Spaniard’s efforts will see her return to the WTA Top 10, a silver lining after falling short against Sabalenka, who now leads their head-to-head 6-2.
Sabalenka’s power proved decisive, firing 26 winners to Badosa’s eight. Meanwhile, the Spaniard struggled to find rhythm, committing 14 unforced errors. With her relentless baseline game and trademark resilience, Sabalenka now awaits the winner of the other semifinal between World No.2 Iga Swiatek and No.14 Madison Keys.
