"She said she forgave me": Aryna Sabalenka provides friendship status update with Paula Badosa after Australian Open semifinal win

World number one Aryna Sabalenka has confirmed that her friend Paula Badosa has forgiven her for her defeat at the Australian Open after receiving a stunning bracelet as a gift. The Spanish tennis star had a fabulous time during the recently concluded first Grand Slam of the year, where she played in the semifinal, which was the first of her career in a major event.

In that contest, she came second-best against the world number one Sabalenka, who is also her best friend, in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2. The Minsk-born star’s own journey ended in the final, where she ended up on the losing side against America’s Madison Keys with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

After beating her friend Badosa in the last-four clash, Sabalenka expressed optimism that both will remain friends during an on-court interview. “We both wanted it badly,” she said after the match. “It’s our dream. Here, we’re just opponents. No matter what happens on the court, we gonna be friends after our matches. It’s tough to do but we agreed on that,” Sabalenka told Jelena Dokic afterwards. I hope she’s still my friend. I’m sure she hates me for the next I don’t know, hour, day or two. I promise Paula we go shopping and pay for whatever she wants.”

After that, Sabalenka was quoted in another report where she stated that she would go on shopping with Badosa but put on a limit to ensure that the Spaniard does not go ‘crazy’. "Paula we go shopping and I pay for whatever she you want,” she said. “Maybe, you know, I hope she's gonna be still here and we go, we go shop. I'm gonna put a limit for her, you know, because she can go crazy.” Now, Sabalenka, in a post on the social media platform Instagram, confirmed that Badosa has forgiven her after receiving a stunning bracelet. "She said she forgave me 😂 @paulabadosa 🤍," she wrote.