Aryna Sabalenka finally wins Paula Badosa's forgiveness with special jewelry gift to make up for crushing Australian Open loss

3Aryna Sabalenka has finally made it up to her close friend Paula Badosa after beating the Spaniard in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open. The World No. 1 fulfilled her promise to treat Badosa to a special gift to make amends for dashing her hopes of winning her maiden Grand Slam title.

Sabalenka and Badosa locked horns in a blockbuster semifinal clash, with the Belarusian claiming a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory to advance to the final. Following her win, the World No. 1 disclosed her plan to make it up to Badosa by taking the Spaniard on a shopping spree, albeit with a spending limit to not let her get too "crazy."

"Paula we go shopping and I pay for whatever she you want. 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," Sabalenka said.

However, Badosa made it clear that she would only grant her forgiveness if the Belarusian gifted her something "really expensive," given the substantial prize money she had earned at the Australian Open.

"Something really expensive then. It's going to be something really expensive because now I think she doubled the prize money. So I think she won't have a problem for that. I will think about it," Badosa said in her post-match press conference.

True to her word, Aryna Sabalenka won Paula Badosa's forgiveness with a special gift, sharing a glimpse of the Spaniard's overjoyed reaction as she unwrapped her stunning bracelet.

"She said she forgave me 😂 @paulabadosa 🤍," Sabalenka posted on her Instagram story.

Aryna Sabalenka's Instagram story

Sabalenka and Badosa have reunited after arriving in Doha for the 2025 Qatar Open, which is scheduled to commence on February 9.

Paula Badosa reveals her heartwarming conversation with Aryna Sabalenka after Australian Open clash

Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka - Source: Getty

Following their clash in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka was spotted consoling an emotional Paula Badosa in a heartwarming display of their friendship.

During her post-match press conference, Badosa disclosed that the World No. 1 had lifted her spirits by expressing pride in her progess, especially after her struggle with injuries.

"But no, she came, like, to say that she played three semifinals before she won a title. She was very proud of my improvement lately, especially with all I've been through," Badosa said.

"So, yeah, we were just joking around. I'm really happy that, look, if I have to lose against somebody, of course I want to lose against world No. 1 and against Aryna, and I wish her the best," she added.

Paula Badosa will look to put her Australian Open heartbreak and her opening-round exit at the Abu Dhabi Open behind her as she squares off against Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the Qatar Open.

Similarly, Aryna Sabalenka will be looking to move past her loss in the final of the Melbourne Slam as she awaits the winner of Emma Raducanu and Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round of the WTA 1000 event.