Aryna Sabalenka prepared for the Australian Open in style with a comfortable victory over Marta Kostyuk to win her third Brisbane International crown.
The world number one took control of Sunday’s final by reeling off five consecutive games from 4-4 in the opening set, needing just 79 minutes to secure a 6-4 6-3 win.
Sabalenka successfully defended her title at the Queensland Tennis Centre, where she also triumphed in 2023, underlining her dominance at the tournament.
Perfect Australian Open Preparation
It was the ideal warm-up for the 27-year-old Belarusian, who is chasing a third Australian Open title in four years when the Grand Slam begins in Melbourne on 18 January.
“Every day you go out there and prove your level, and I think this week I did it really well,” said Sabalenka, who did not drop a set throughout the tournament.
Looking ahead, she added: “The only thing I know is that I’ll be there, I’ll be fighting.”
Sabalenka lost last year’s Melbourne final to Madison Keys, having lifted the trophy in 2023 and 2024.
“I’ll do my best to go as far as possible,” she said. “And do a little bit better than last year. That’s my focus.”
Kostyuk Struggles Under Pressure
Kostyuk, who had not taken a set in four previous meetings with Sabalenka, initially showed resilience by cancelling out an early break of serve.
However, she dropped her serve again in the 10th game as Sabalenka raised her intensity to seal the first set.
The 16th seed was contesting her first final in two years and only her fourth overall, aiming for a second WTA singles title. But her game crumbled under the weight of Sabalenka’s powerful groundstrokes.
An early break in the second set proved decisive as Sabalenka closed out the match when Kostyuk fired into the net on championship point.
Emotional Speech from Kostyuk
Kostyuk struggled to hold back tears as she addressed the Brisbane crowd, speaking about the difficult conditions in Ukraine.
“I play every day with a pain in my heart,” she said. “There are thousands of people who are without light and warm water right now. It’s minus 20 degrees outside.”
“It’s very hot in Brisbane so it’s difficult to imagine, but my sister is sleeping under three blankets because of how cold it is at home.”
More Success for Sabalenka
Sabalenka’s 22nd WTA title is her first since winning a fourth Grand Slam at the US Open in September, adding further momentum to her season.
Wheelchair Tennis Results
Meanwhile, Britain’s world number two Alfie Hewett needed just 65 minutes to beat Spanish second seed Martin de la Puente 6-1 6-3 in the men’s wheelchair singles final.
However, British top seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool lost the men’s doubles final 6-3 3-6 10-8 to third seeds Francisco Cabral of Portugal and Austrian Lucas Miedler.
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