Aryna Sabalenka keeps three-peat hope alive, beats Paula Badosa to reach third straight Australian Open final

January 23, 2025
6:13 pm

Jan 23, 2025 04:08 PM IST

Aryna Sabalenka now stands just a win away from becoming the first woman since Martina Hingis to pull off a three-peat at Melbourne Park.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka beat Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2 on the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday as the Belarusian reached the Australian Open women’s singles final for the third straight time in a row. The world No. 1 now stands just a win away from becoming the first woman since Martina Hingis (1997 to 1999) to pull off a three-peat at Melbourne Park.

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka reacts during her semi final match against Spain's Paula Badosa(REUTERS) — Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka reacts during her semi final match against Spain’s Paula Badosa(REUTERS)

Badosa, who is set to return to the WTA Rankings Top 10 after making her first Grand Slam semifinal, enjoyed a strong start, before the match was halted as the roof over Rod Laver Arena was closed due to rain. Until then Badosa had a 2-0, 40-0 lead, but failed to convert her triple-game point. The break allowed Sabalenka to bounce back as she not only restored parity, but also won four consecutive games. She fired 19 winners to take the opening set 6-4.

Eleventh seed Badosa, who eliminated Coco Gauff in the fourth round in one of the shocks of the tournament, was constantly under siege on serve in her first Grand Slam semi-final. The pressure told as she double-faulted to gift Sabalenka an early break in the second set. She rode the momentum to a 5-1 lead before sealing the match in style with a cracking forehand down the line. The 26-year-old, too, was more devastating in the second set, where he upped her win percentage behind her first serve from 69 in the opening set to 92 (12/13) and did not concede a single break point as he wrapped up the semifinal clash in just one hour and 23 minutes.

With the win, Sabalenka extended her head-to-head record against Badosa to 6-2, winning both their Grand Slam meetings, the previous being in the third round at Roland Garros last year. It also saw the two-time defending champion in Melbourne stretch her winning streak to 20 straight matches in the Australian Open. The last time she lost in Melbourne was against Kia Kanepi in the fourth round of the 2022 edition.

Sabalenka will face either World No.2 Iga Swiatek or No.14 Madison Keys in the final.