WATCH: Paula Badosa gives the middle finger on live feed after crushing Australian Open defeat to Aryna Sabalenka

Paula Badosa was seen giving the middle finger on live feed after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open. With this win over Badosa, Sabalenka secured her spot in the Melbourne Major final for the third consecutive year.

Badosa was seeded 11th at the Grand Slam tournament and she began her campaign with wins over Xinyu Wang 6-3, 7-6(5) and Australian wild card Talia Gibson 6-1, 6-0 in the first and second rounds, respectively. The former World No. 2 defeated 17th seed, Marta Kostyuk, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the third round and then registered a 6-1, 7-6(2) win over Olga Danilovic in the fourth round.

In the quarterfinal, Badosa defeated third seed Coco Gauff 7-5, 6-4 to secure her spot in the semifinals. However, Badosa's hopes of reaching the final were dashed by Aryna Sabalenka, who secured a 6-4, 6-2 win over her.

Following her defeat, Badosa was caught on camera in the players' area, walking with her team, playfully sticking out her tongue and then flipping off the camera with her middle finger before walking away.

Watch Paula Badosa giving middle finger on live feed here:

Before beginning her Australian Open campaign, Paula Badosa competed at the 2025 Brisbane International and the Adelaide International where she reached the second round before being defeated by Elina Avanesyan and Ashlyn Krueger respectively.

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After defeating Paula Badosa, Aryna Sabalenka will face Madison Keys in Australian Open 2025 final

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 Australian Open [Source: Getty]

After Aryna Sabalenka's victory over Paula Badosa in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open, she is set to face Madison Keys in the final match of the tournament. Sabalenka is the two-time defending champion, having claimed the title in 2023 by defeating Elena Rybakina and repeated her success in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen in the final.

Sabalenka is the top seed at the Melbourne Major and she defeated Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 in the first round, and then overcame Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5 in the second round. She triumphed over Clara Tauson 7-6(5), 6-4, and 14th seed Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-2 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

In the quarterfinals, Sabalenka faced 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, winning 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, before securing her place in the final by defeating Paula Badosa.

On the other hand, Madison Keys, seeded 19th at the 2025 Australian Open, defeated compatriot Ann Li 6-5, 7-5, qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse 7-6(1), 2-6, 7-5, 10th seed Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-4, and sixth seed Elena Rybakina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in the first four rounds. In the quarterfinals, she overcame 28th seed Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and then triumphed over Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(8) in the semifinals to advance to the final.

Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys have faced each other five times on the WTA Tour, with the former winning four of those five matches. Their most recent match-up was in the fourth round of the 2024 China Open, where the World No. 1 secured a 6-4, 6-3 win over Keys.