Badosa, having stunned American third seed Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals, benefitted in the early stages as a tense Sabalenka conceded an immediate break of serve with four unforced errors.
Badosa was within a point of taking a 3-0 lead before Sabalenka switched up a gear.
The three-time major winner then took charge, reeling off four games in a row and was unrelenting from there.
Despite their off-court relationship, both players gave little away, barely exchanging a glance as they stayed focused on their respective tasks.
But, in a rare glimpse into their friendship, they shared relieved smiles after Badosa fell at the start of the second set before raising a reassuring thumb as she lay on the court.
What started as a fiercely-contested match began to drift away from Badosa when she gifted Sabalenka control of set two, conceding a break of serve with back-to-back double faults
Another double fault in the fifth game gave Sabalenka a chance for a second break, which she grabbed with one of her 32 winners before serving out victory in one hour and 26 minutes.
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