Aryna Sabalenka keeps the three-peat hopes alive in Melbourne. It took her 1 hour and 26 minutes to push her ‘soulmate’ to pack her bags from the 2025 AO. Sabalenka defeated Paula Badosa by 6-4,6-2 in this epic SF. After the match, we saw Paula Badosa sitting in the warm-up area, visibly very upset by her failure to reach her first Grand Slam final. Aryna Sabalenka was later spotted cooling her friend and both the players even shared a bit of laughter during on-court interviews and press conferences. What did they say, though?

Well, shortly after her dominating performance against the Spaniard, Aryna Sabalenka said, “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.”

Not only that, she further added, “I hope she’s still my friend. I’m sure she’ll hate me for the next hour, day or two, but I’m okay with that, I can handle that. After that I think we are back to being friends, back to go out together and go shopping. I promise, Paula, we’ll go shopping and I’ll pay for whatever you want.” After hearing this from the Belarusian, the journalists asked Paula Badosa what would she like to ask from her as a gift when she’d take her out for shopping.

In reply to that question during the post-match press conference, Paula Badosa jokingly said, “Something really expensive because now I think she has doubled the prize money. So I think she won’t have a problem for that. I will think about it.” Then later on, they were even caught up in sharing a few glimpses of their incredible camaraderie on social media.

Aryna Sabalenka posted a series of images from her SF clash on her IG account with the caption, “One more. See you Saturday @australianopen 💪🏼 @paulabadosa promised she’d still be my friend…” A few moments later, Badosa commented on that post saying, “Insane level, no words🔥 I’m just gonna forgive you after my BIG gift… ❤️‍🩹.” The Aryna Sabalenka came back with a reply saying, “Anything you want my love❤️😂❤️.”

Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka have now managed to take their friendships to a completely different level. Be it on the court or off the court, they’re always showing their love and support for each other. Guess what? This is a pretty rare thing in a competitive world and perhaps that’s why they love to call each other ‘soulmates.’ This was their eighth meeting on the Tour and Paula Badosa has so far managed to win two matches against her ‘soulmate.’ What did she say about her opponent’s performance in this match though?

“I feel like she’s playing a PlayStation” – Paula Badosa’s initial reaction to her devastating loss against Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 AO

Paula Badosa had to overcome a lot of hurdles in the last few years. Frequent injuries and lack of form took away a significant time from her career. There was also a time when she felt of taking retirement from the sport. However, people like Aryna Sabalenka and a few others always encouraged her not to give up and gave her the motivation time and again to make a strong comeback. Badosa looked quite impressive in the later stages of the 2024 season and as a result, she was even awarded the WTA’s ‘Comeback Player of The Year Award.’

Aryna Sabalenka always ensured that her ‘soulmate’ didn’t feel any lack of support during her tough phases. For example, when she defeated her in the R32 of the French Open, she said, “It’s tough to play your best friend. She’s an incredible player coming back after injury. She’s going to be back at the top very soon.” Then in another instance, when Badosa was forced to retire from one of their matches, she spoke about what Sabalenka had told her personally.

“When I had to retire during our match there, I was crying so much and she (Saba) was saying in my ear, ‘Don’t worry: you’ll be back to the Top 10 very soon,” said the Spaniard. What did she say to Paula Badosa when she saw her distraught after the straight-set defeat in the recent match, though? In reply to this Paula Badosa said, “She came to me to say that she played three semi-finals before she won a title. She was very proud of my improvement lately, especially with all I’ve been through.”

Did Paula Badosa share any thoughts about Aryna Sabalenka’s incredible performance in this epic battle? Well, yes she did! She said, “With Aryna, it’s more like winners everywhere. Sometimes you’re like, I don’t know, I’m just walking around the court because I feel like she’s playing a PlayStation. Today she was like that. So sometimes I’m like, ‘What’s happening?’ I don’t have time even to think.” Badosa even jokingly said that it was really unfair for her that Aryna Sabalenka played this level today. However, now that her ‘soulmate’ has reached the final it’d be interesting to see if she can beat Madison Keys on Saturday. Who’s your pick in this mega battle?