Aryna Sabalenka gives her honest opinion on the crowds at the Australian Open as she reaches her third final in a row

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Aryna Sabalenka beat Paula Badosa in straight sets to reach the Australian Open final.

Two of the biggest names on the WTA Tour took to the court to face off for a place in Saturday’s Australian Open final.

Sabalenka beat Badosa, 6-4, 6-2, to book her sport in the Melbourne final for the third year in a row.

World number one, Sabalenka, had fallen behind in the first set, as her Spanish rival secured the break before she battled back taking control of the match.

The win was her 20th consecutive victory at the Australian Open, a run that now spans three tournaments, having won the title previously in 2023, and 2024.

Ahead of the final, where she’ll play America’s Madison Keys, Sabalenka gave her thoughts on playing down under.

Aryna Sabalenka says the Australian Open feels like her ‘Home Slam’ after reaching third final in a row

Speaking in her post-match press conference, Sabalenka explained how she feels coming to the Australian Open.

“I just feel like home,” she said.

“Like last year I thought, okay, I feel like home, I feel so good here, I feel all the support, this year I feel even more.

“I feel like I’m coming home to my home Slam, I know everything.

“I know every area, I know where to warm up so it’s not that crowded.”

Over 8,000 miles from her birthplace in Belarus, Sabalenka is appreciative of the fans for supporting her in Melbourne.

“I go there, and I feel like people screaming my name, they support me,” she said.

“I have goose bumps every time they scream, like, Let’s go Aryna.

“It’s incredible to feel that support here.”

Sabalenka then looked ahead to Saturday’s final, where she’ll have the chance to win a third consecutive Australian Open title.

“That’s crazy,” said Sabalenka.

“That’s crazy that I was able to put myself on the situation where I have chance to put my name next to the legends.

“I mean, I couldn’t even dream about that, it’s going to mean a lot for me.”

Aryna Sabalenka can become the first woman in the 21st Century to win three Australian Open titles in a row

Winning three Grand Slam titles is a legendary achievement that most players can only dream of.

Doing it at the same tournament, and consecutively, is even more unbelievable, and hasn’t been seen at the Australian Open since the turn of the Century.

Hingis’ third title in a row back in 1999 was the last time a WTA player won three in a row in the women’s game.

Three-peats have come far more recently on the men’s side, however, with ten-time champion Novak Djokovic doing so twice in his career to date.

• Novak Djokovic wins the Australian Open (2011, 2012, 2013)
• Novak Djokovic wins the Australian Open (2019, 2020, 2021)

Sabalenka may well look to Djokovic for inspiration as she prepares to take on Keys in the final.

The Belarussian leads the head-to-head with the 29-year-old, 4-1, with her only defeat coming on the grass four years ago.

Since then Sabalenka has ironically won ‘three in a row’ against Keys, including a huge victory in the semi-finals of the US Open in 2023.

It remains to be seen if she can secure another win over Keys, and complete the ‘three-peat’ as the pair face off for the Australian Open title at Rod Laver Arena, on Saturday, January 25.