The first of two Australian Open women’s singles semifinals is set for an early Thursday morning start in Melbourne as No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka battles No. 11 Paula Badosa.

Aryna Sabalenka has put herself within reach of a third-straight Australian Open title after storming through the semifinals.

Aryna Sabalenka remains on course for a historic third straight Australian Open title after beating No. 11 seed and close friend Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2 in Thursday’s first semifinal.

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.

Paula Badosa joked that rival Aryna Sabalenka could now buy her "something really expensive" after being offered a shopping trip by her opponent following their Australian Open semi-final. Playing in her first Grand Slam final four clash, the Spaniard was no match for the defending champion, going down 6-4 6-2.

The semifinal matches are scheduled to start at 3:30 a.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Fans looking to watch can do so through FuboTV, which offers a free trial and $30 off your first month, or DirecTV Stream, which also offers a free trial. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but does have other promotional offers available.

Aryna Sabalenka is the first woman to reach three singles finals in a row at the Australian Open since Serena Williams (2015-2017) and the youngest since Martina Hingis (1997-2002)

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.

As Paula Badosa watched Aryna Sabalenka winners whizzing by her from all angles on Thursday, it was game over for the Spaniard in the Australian Open semi-finals as she fell to an inspired opponent producing "PlayStation" tennis.

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Aryna Sabalenka has now won 20 straight matches at the Australian Open, becoming just the third woman to achieve that feat at any grand slam in the last decade, after Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek