Aryna Sabalenka beats her best friend Paula Badosa in the French Open third round, with former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina also through.
Aryna Sabalenka continued her quest for a first French Open title by fighting past best friend Paula Badosa to reach the fourth round.
A competitive and entertaining first set, where both players demonstrated their power from the baseline, saw seven breaks of serve before second seed Sabalenka closed it out.Badosa, who has fallen down the rankings after a stress fracture in her back, saved three match points before putting a backhand long on the fourth.
Two-time major champion Sabalenka will play either American 14th seed Madison Keys or her compatriot Emma Navarro, seeded 22nd, next. The 26-year-old Spaniard, who beat British number one Katie Boulter in the first round, soaked up Sabalenka’s power and used her opponent's pace to fizz away winners in a competitive opening set.
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