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 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

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.

Top seed Sabalenka proved to be at another level, though, racking up 32 winners for the match to leave Badosa chasing shadows under the lights at Rod Laver Arena.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — 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.

Paula Badosa offered a bit funny but also very honest assessment of how it feels to play Aryna Sabalenka as the Spaniard says her best friend moves a rival around the court like she is playing a PlayStation game. On Thursday, the world No. 12 fell short in her first Grand Slam semifinal as the top seed claimed a routine 6-4 6-2 win.

As Paula Badosa watched Aryna Sabalenka winners whizzing by her from all angles, it was game over for the Spaniard in the Australian Open semi-finals as she fell to an inspired opponent producing “PlayStation” tennis.

Coco Gauff's unbeaten start to 2025 is over. So are her hopes of winning the Australian Open. The third-seeded Gauff, 9-0 on the year and unbeaten in 13 straight matches entering the day, was swept by 11th-seeded Paula Badosa of Spain 7-5,

The former world No. 2 was ranked No. 100 this time last year amid a back injury that had her contemplating retirement.

Paula Badosa came through a topsy-turvy three-set win over Marta Kostyuk in the Australian Open third round. The former won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to book her spot in the second week of the Grand Slam.

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.