Australian Open: Writing name in history 'would mean the world' to Aryna Sabalenka after crushing Paula Badosa in semis

Aryna Sabalenka emphatically roared back to reach her third-straight Australian Open final as she beat her good friend Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena in an hour and 27 minutes. Sabalenka, the defending champion, is chasing a three-peat in Melbourne, aiming to become the sixth woman to do so. She will face the winner of Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys in Saturday's showpiece.

Sabalenka beats Badosa in straight sets to reach final - Australian Open highlights

Video credit: TNT Sports

Aryna Sabalenka says that it will "mean the world" if she can write her name into Australian Open folklore.

The world No.1 steamrollered through Paula Badosa in her semi-final in Melbourne, beating the Spaniard 6-4 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena in an hour and 27 minutes.

Sabalenka, the double defending champion at Melbourne Park, is aiming to become the sixth woman to win the Australian Open title for a third time in a row, following some greats of the game: Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, and Martina Hingis.

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The Belarusian was in trouble in the early exchanges of her last-four encounter with one of her closest friends on the WTA Tour, finding herself 2-0 and 40-0 down in the opening set.

However, she quickly rediscovered her rhythm to break back in the third game, and at that point, she did not look back.

She broke once more to go up 3-2, and dropped just two more games in the entire match to wrap up the contest and book her place in Saturday’s showpiece, where she will face the winner of Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys.

The final, like the rest of the tournament before it, will be shown live on Eurosport and discovery+.

Sabalenka's power was 'phenomenal' in reaching Australian Open final

Video credit: TNT Sports

Sabalenka spoke of her "pride" in putting herself into a position where she could add her name to a list of Australian Open greats.

"Just saying [those previous champions’ names] gives me goosebumps," the top seed said in her on-court interview.

"I’m so proud of myself that I was able to put myself in such a situation; it’s a privilege.

"If I am able to put my name in history, it’s going to mean a lot, the world for me. It’s been a dream; I couldn’t even dream about that.

"At first I was dreaming of winning at least one Grand Slam, but now I have this opportunity. It’s incredible. I’m going to go out and leave everything I have in the final.

Badosa, the 11th seed, came out firing in the opening games of the match, but could not deal with Sabalenka’s resurgence and dominance from the back of the court, with the three-time major champion’s power just too much for the Spaniard to handle.

"I have no idea [how I turned it around]," Sabalenka said of the third game in the first set.

"I was just trying to build for the next games, I wasn’t trying to win that game [on its own]. Somehow I was able to turn the game around - that crucial game - in a super tough match against a friend.

"I’m super happy to see her at her highest level. It was a tough battle, and I’m super happy to be through this difficult match."

Watch match point as 'relentless' Sabalenka storms into Australian Open final

Video credit: TNT Sports

Sabalenka also spoke of the difficulty in facing a close friend, but emphasised that the pair had discussed how they would handle the occasion, with the Belarusian promising Badosa a shopping spree on her as a consolation.

"After a couple of battles against each other, we spoke and decided to put it aside," Sabalenka explained.

"Here, she wanted it badly. We both want it badly. It’s our dream. But here, we’re just opponents, no matter what happens on and off the court.

"We are going to be friends after our matches. It’s tough to do, but we agreed on that. We’re doing it pretty well. I hope she’s still my friend.

"I’m sure she’ll hate me for the next hour, day or two, but I’m ok with that. I can handle that. After that, we’ll be back to being friends and going out together.

"I promise, Paula, we’ll go shopping and I’ll pay for whatever you want."

Sabalenka recovers from break down to win opening set against Badosa in semi

Video credit: TNT Sports

Courtside, Eurosport expert Barbara Schett labelled Sabalenka as "phenomenal", highlighting the upturn of her service speed and her devastating power off both wings.

"The power she displayed was just phenomenal, especially the way she served," Schett said.

"She served approximately 11 or 12 km/h faster than her previous matches. She stepped into the court, taking those returns early.

"Yes, she had some troubles early on when she was down 2-0, but the momentum changed when she broke back.

"Then it was one-way traffic. The way she handled herself on this occasion was phenomenal. At the beginning of the second set, Paula lost the belief. She deserved to win. She was just the better player."

Fellow Eurosport pundits Mats Wilander and Tim Henman both agreed that Sabalenka was "a better version" of Badosa, with the former saying that the world No. 1 "had no weaknesses".

"We always talk about the power of Sabalenka, but there is variety as well," Wilander said.

Sabalenka hopes Badosa 'still her friend' after semi-final victory

Video credit: TNT Sports

"There is a difference between Badosa and Sabalenka. She throws in a couple of dropshots, and looks very comfortable coming to the net. Her serve was good, even though Badosa served well too.

"She’s just a little bit better everywhere, including the movement and the defensive skills. She doesn’t have any weaknesses anymore."

"Sabalenka is just a slightly better version of Badosa," Henman added.

"They’ve got very similar games. When the dust settles, Badosa will reflect on this match and say that she had a chance.

"At 2-0, 40-0 - if she goes up 3-0 in the first set - that puts a very different complexion on the first set.

"You see the scoreline, up 6-4 with a break, you feel like it’s one-way traffic. For the early part of this match, it was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests."

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