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.

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.

Friends will become rivals at the Australian Open on Thursday. For the eighth time in their careers – and the fourth time in the past 12 months – Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa will do battle on court.

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.