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

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 has put herself within reach of a third-straight Australian Open title after storming through the semifinals.

Thankfully, it seems Aryna is aware of what it must feel like to be in that sort of predicament. On Thursday, she faced her friend and fellow tennis player Paula Badosa in the Australian Open, beating her in straight sets. Afterward, she offered one of the best remedies for that situation—SHOPPING.

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Paula Badosa joked that rival Aryna Sabalenka could now buy her "something really expensive" after being offered a shopping trip by her opponent following their Australian Open semi-final. Playing in her first Grand Slam final four clash, the Spaniard was no match for the defending champion, going down 6-4 6-2.

The semifinal matches are scheduled to start at 3:30 a.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Fans looking to watch can do so through FuboTV, which offers a free trial and $30 off your first month, or DirecTV Stream, which also offers a free trial. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but does have other promotional offers available.

Aryna Sabalenka will face close friend Paula Badosa in the semi-finals of the Australian Open after battling to victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The two-time defending champion’s 18-match winning run at Melbourne Park looked in serious danger when she lost the second set on a windy Rod Laver Arena.

Aryna Sabalenka has now won 20 straight matches at the Australian Open, becoming just the third woman to achieve that feat at any grand slam in the last decade, after Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek

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.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Paula Badosa in straight sets at the Australian Open 2025 semifinals. The Belarusian will face 14th ranked Madison Keys at the finals which is scheduled to take place on 25th January at Rod Laver Arena.