Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Thursday January 23, 2025 at 11:27 a.m.
Double title holder and world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka had no difficulty qualifying for the final of the Australian Open, to the detriment of her great friend Paula Badosa.
And 20 victories in a row for Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne! Victorious at the last two Australian Opens, the Belarusian feels at home in the city in the south-east of the island, and she will play another final this Saturday! The world No. 1 was opposed this Thursday at the opening of the night session to her good friend Paula Badosa, world No. 12, who was playing the very first semi-final of her Grand Slam career. And there was no suspense: Aryna Sabalenka won 6-4, 6-2 in 1h26, to secure her sixth victory in a row against the Spaniard. The Belarusian was ultimately only worried during the first two games. Trailing 1-0, she gave up her service at her opponent's first break opportunity. But the fear was short-lived. From the next game, the world No. 1 put the points back on track by breaking the score, before equalizing at 2-2. On her momentum, she took the opponent's service again after a long game (3-2) and took off in this set, concluded at 5-4 on her first set point.
A dream final against Swiatek?
The second round was even faster. From her first break opportunity at 1-1, Aryna Sabalenka won the point, then did the same at 3-1, still on her first opportunity. At 5-2, she ended the match with a shutout. Here she is in the final of the Australian Open for the third year in a row and still undefeated in 2025, having won the Brisbane tournament at the beginning of the month. The Belarusian finished this match with 32 winning shots for 21 unforced errors, while her friend only managed 11 winning shots, for 15 errors. There was a world of difference between the two players, but Badosa will console herself by returning to the Top 10 next Monday. On Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka will try to win her fourth Grand Slam tournament, facing Iga Swiatek (8-4 for the Pole in the confrontations) for what would be a dream final between the two best players in the world, or Madison Keys, who the Belarusian beat four times out of five.
