By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday January 23, 2025
Shop til you drop. That might very well be the mantra of Paula Badosa the next time she hangs out with her bestie Aryna Sabalenka.
The pair shared the court on Thursday night in Rod Laver Arena, with Sabalenka notching her sixth consecutive victory over the Spaniard, 64, 6-2.
After the win, in an endearing moment, Sabalenka promised that she would take Badosa shopping and buy her whatever she wants.
“I hope she’s still my friend,” Sabalenka joked, before saying: “I promise Paula, we’ll go shopping and I’ll pay for whatever she wants,” Sabalenka told the crowd.
Besties go shopping 🛍️We hope you hold @SabalenkaA to this @paulabadosa 😂#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/3BtV00KC37
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2025
Badosa, who reached her maiden Grand Slam semifinal in Melbourne this week, says she’s more than happy to take her friend up on that offer.
“It’s going to be something really expensive because now I think she doubled the prize money,” Badosa said. “So I think she won’t have a problem [with] that. I will think about it.”
For her win, Sabalenka earned an extra $800,000 Australian dollars (about $501,000 US dollars).
Sabalenka “Playing Like No.1
Badosa had nothing but praise for the quality of Sabalenka’s play on Thursday night.
“The level of Aryna today, she played like a No. 1. I couldn’t do much more today,” Badosa said. “She played the best match not even of the week. From the last months, for sure. If she plays like this, I mean, we can already give her the trophy.”
Asked to elaborate on what playing like a No.1 meant she said:
“When you’re aggressive. When you go for the lines. When you change directions. When a ball is coming strong to you, but you’re able to change directions very easily. You’re fast. You’re serving well.
“You do everything well. That’s how a No. 1 plays. She did it today.”
