Aryna Sabalenka remains on course for a historic third straight Australian Open title after beating No. 11 seed and close friend Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2 in Thursday’s first semifinal.

Her opponent, Keys, also last reached the semi-finals in 2022 but was beaten by Ashleigh Barty who went on to win the tournament. Keys’s previous two outing saw her battle past Elena Rybakina in the fourth round then Elina Svitolina in the quarters. The American has had a tougher run but is a wiley competitior and should give Swiatek some trouble.

Aryna Sabalenka will get the opportunity to shoot for a third consecutive Australian Open title after thrashing Paula Badosa in the semi-final at Rod Laver Arena.

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.

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.

We're also on Facebook @‌dailyexpresssport - offering your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day to like, comment and share from the Daily Express, Sunday Express and Express.co.uk.

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 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 and return to the final.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Aryna Sabalenka reaches her third straight Australian Open final by beating Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2.

In the latest ‘Sabadosa’ installment, the two-time defending champion pulled away from best friend Paula Badosa, 6-4, 6-2, to claim Thursday evening’s first semifinal on Rod Laver Arena. Sabalenka delivered 32 winners to 21 unforced errors throughout the 86-minute victory.