How tough is it to play against a close friend? 'Soulmates' Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa will find out in their Australian Open semi-final on Thursday.

Aryna Sabalenka (No. 1 ranking) will face Paula Badosa (No. 12) in the semifinals at the Australian Open on Thursday, January 23.Sabalenka secured a three-set victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Aryna Sabalenka will not let her friendship with Paula Badosa affect her quest to win a third successive Australian Open title when the best friends clash in the semi-finals, the defending champion said on Tuesday.

You can watch every point from the Australian Open semi-final clash between Sabalenka and Badosa on the Bet365 live streaming tennis platform, with the contest scheduled to start at 8.30am GMT on Thursday, January 23.

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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.

Paula Badosa has continued her resurgence here at the Australian Open, a dogged refusal to back down and take more seeds down, including Coco Gauff, in straight sets during the Quarter-Final match. Her shot selection was measured; she never gave up being consistent from the baseline and was also clutch on those return games in beating Gauff.

Aryna Sabalenka is set to face her best friend Paula Badosa in the Australian Open semi-finals, aiming for a third consecutive title. Despite their friendship, Sabalenka is determined to maintain her competitive edge and join an elite group of players who have achieved consecutive wins.

Delray Beach's Coco Gauff was eliminated from the Australian Open Tuesday, losing in straight sets to Spain's Paula Badosa. The third-seeded Gauff, who had been playing well since the end of the year, fell 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals at Rod Laver Arena.

Paula Badosa beats Coco Gauff to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open; Badosa almost retired from tennis entirely last year due to a persistent injury; watch all the action from the ATP and WTA Tours on Sky Sports Tennis,

The Spaniard is playing at an extremely high level heading into this semifinal showdown.