Tennis Australian Open 2025 women’s semi-finals preview, full schedule and how to watch live

Australian Open 2025 – Aryna Sabalenka faces her friend Paula Badosa

World number one Sabalenka survived a quarter-final scare when she dropped her first set of the tournament to 27.^th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

The 26-year-old weathered the storm to secure her place in the last four, keeping her dreams of an Australian Open three-peat alive.

She takes on a familiar face in an unfamiliar environment, Spaniard Badosa on her Grand Slam semi-final debut down under.

A year older than Sabalenka, the New York City-born player shocked third seed Coco Gauff in the previous round.

It will be a special affair for the pair, who have met seven times, as Sabalenka and Badosa share a strong friendship on tour. However, the defending champion will not let personal feelings interrupt his pursuit of history.

Sabalenka added Reuters after her quarter-final win: “We decided a long time ago that off the court we are friends, while on the court she really wants to win, I really want to win. So on the pitch we are competitors, and there is no room for friendship.”