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.

Aryna Sabalenka has been through to her third consecutive Australian Open final after beating best friend Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2. Playing in her maiden Grand Slam semifinal, the 11th-seeded Spaniard came out firing and she claimed an early break for a 2-0 lead and even had 40/0 on her serve.