Aryna Sabalenka's Melbourne Magic Continues: One Win Away From Rare Australian Open Hat-trick

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka put her close friendship with Paula Badosa aside Thursday to sweep past the Spaniard into a third successive Australian Open final.

The Belarusian world number one came home 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena and will meet either Polish second seed Iga Swiatek or American 19th seed Madison Keys in Saturday's decider.

The hard, fast courts of Melbourne Park have been the 26-year-old's happy place.

She has now won 20 straight matches at the Australian Open to close in on a third consecutive crown something that hasn't happened this century.

The last person to achieve the feat was Martina Hingis in 1999 and only four other women have completed the three-peat Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.