Aryna Sabalenka will have the chance to become the first woman in 26 years to win three successive Australian Open titles after reaching the Melbourne final with a commanding win over Paula Badosa.
Belarusian top seed Sabalenka, who previously described Badosa as her “soulmate”, recovered from an early setback to win 6-4 6-2.
Badosa, contesting her first major semi-final, quickly went 2-0 up but the Spanish 11th seed would win just four of the next 16 games.
Sabalenka will face Iga Swiatek or Madison Keys in the final, where she will aim to emulate Martina Hingis’ three straight titles between 1997-99.
It was a 20th straight victory at the Australian Open for two-time defending champion Sabalenka.
She will keep her world number one ranking if Swiatek loses in the semi-finals – and if the Pole advances, the winner of Saturday’s championship match will take the top spot.
Should Swiatek join Sabalenka in the final, it would be the first time since 2018 that the Australian Open women’s final has featured the top two seeds.