Sabalenka Eyes Historic Third Australian Open Victory

Aryna Sabalenka defeats Paula Badosa to reach her third consecutive Australian Open final, maintaining an undefeated streak in 2025. Aiming for a historic third title, Sabalenka is the first woman since Serena Williams to reach three finals, and will face either Iga Swiatek or Madison Keys in the final clash.

Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time Australian Open champion, has advanced to her third consecutive final after defeating Paula Badosa in the semifinals on Thursday. Winning in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, the defending champion now has the opportunity to secure her third title at Melbourne Park. This latest victory extends Sabalenka's remarkable winning streak at the venue to 20 matches.

Remaining unbeaten in 2025, Sabalenka, 26, continues her impressive run with 11 consecutive wins. Notably, she becomes the first woman since Serena Williams to reach three Australian Open finals and the youngest since Martina Hingis. With her victory over Badosa, Sabalenka improves her head-to-head record to six wins against two losses. In the final, she will face either world number two Iga Swiatek or number 14 Madison Keys as she aims to be the first woman to win three consecutive Australian Open titles since Martina Hingis's triumphant run from 1997 to 1999.

On the other hand, Paula Badosa, who is returning to the top 10 in the WTA rankings, had a commendable run to her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal. Her campaign included a noteworthy quarterfinal victory against Coco Gauff, marking her first top-10 win at a Grand Slam. Despite a promising start in the semifinals, where she led 2-0 and held three game points, she was unable to maintain the momentum. Sabalenka broke back in a crucial eight-minute game and never relinquished her lead, closing out the match in just under 90 minutes with 26 winners compared to Badosa's eight. ANI

(With inputs from agencies.)