Paula Badosa’s chances of winning the Australian Open semi-finals were gone the moment Aryna Sabalenka turned up the heat during their match on Thursday. The athlete was overwhelmed by the precision and ability of her opponent who, she said, seemed to be “playing a PlayStation”.
Eleventh seed Badosa defeated one of the tournament’s favourites, Coco Gauff, in the quarter-finals and secured a spot in her first-ever Grand Slam semi-final. However, top seed Sabalenka demonstrated her superiority, producing 32 winners in their match at the Rod Laver Arena.
Badosa 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.”
The athlete added: “Today she was like that. So sometimes I’m like, ‘What’s happening?’ I don’t have time even to think.”
In a social media post, Badosa expressed her gratitude as she exited the Australian Open. She remarked: “Now, I find myself soaking in every moment, big and small, realizing how precious this journey is. Success isn’t just about the destination—it’s about every step, every lesson, and every connection along the way. For that, I’m endlessly grateful… Thank you @australianopen for the amazing support and memories. As I always say, I’ll comeback stronger. 💙”
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Highlights of the game
For a few intense moments in the first set, Badosa had the upper hand. She raced to a 2-0 lead and was serving at 40-love after Sabalenka had a shaky start, which resulted in an early break.
However, Sabalenka composed herself and took control, battling her way to secure her spot in her third consecutive Australian Open final.
In a social media post, Sabalenka stated: “One more. See you Saturday @australianopen 💪🏼 @paulabadosa promised she’d still be my friend…”
Both athletes are close friends off the court. During the on-court interview, Sabalenka promised that she would take Badosa shopping once her friend had some time to come to terms with her loss.
“It’s going to be something really expensive because now I think she doubled the prize money,” said Badosa. “So I think she won’t have a problem for that.”
Moreover, Badosa had a conversation off-court with Sabalenka and shared what she had said to her: “That it was really unfair for me that she played this level today… I was expecting, of course, a good level, but maybe not that much.”
She added: “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.”
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Source: CNA
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