Aryna Sabalenka retains Brisbane International ahead of bid to regain Australian Open title
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Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka kisses her Brisbane International trophy after winning the final against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk on Jan 11.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BRISBANE – After cruising to back-to-back Brisbane International titles on Jan 11, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka said she was pleased to have added another dimension to her power game.
With a 6-4, 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, Sabalenka retained her title without dropping a set, an ominous sign for her rivals as she bids to reclaim the Australian Open crown.
The 27-year-old Belarusian said she had tried to introduce new elements to her game so she wasn’t relying just on power, and that had paid off this week.
“I finally found the touch game,” she said. “I figured something and I kind of changed my game style – now I’m not only the aggressive player, I can play at the net, I can be in defence, I can use my slice, I have a good touch. I’m super happy to see that things are clicking together.”
Sabalenka is determined to regain the Australian Open title she relinquished in 2025, when she lost to the United States’ Madison Keys in the final. Her performance in the fierce Brisbane heat suggests she will be hard to beat at the opening Grand Slam of the year, which starts on Jan 18.
“I’ll do my best to go as far as possible,” said the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open champion. “And do a little bit better than last year. That’s my focus.”
She also thanked her team for their support before directing a comment at partner Georgios Frangulis in the stands.
“Thank you to my boyfriend,” said the four-time Major champion. “Hopefully, soon I’ll call you something else, right? Let’s just put a bit of extra pressure on, right?”
Kostyuk had beaten top-10 players Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova en route to the final, but was no match for the US Open champion.
Sabalenka raced to a 3-0 lead before her first serve faltered. At 3-3, she regrouped and pressured her 26th-ranked opponent with powerful, accurate strokes. She wrapped up the first set and surged 3-0 ahead in the second. Kostyuk struggled to hold serve before Sabalenka clinched her 22nd WTA title when Kostyuk netted a return on championship point.
There has been animosity between the two players in the past. Like many Ukraine players, Kostyuk refuses to shake hands with Russians or Belarusians because of the war in her homeland.
Kostyuk said her thoughts were with the people back home in her war-torn country. “I play every day with a pain in my heart and there are thousands of people who are without light and warm water,” she said.
“Right now it’s minus 20 degrees outside, so it’s very, very painful to live this reality every day. It’s very hot here in Brisbane, so it’s difficult to imagine this, but my sister is sleeping under three blankets because of how cold it is at home.”
Over in New Zealand, another Ukrainian was triumphant as Elina Svitolina powered to a 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) victory over China’s Wang Xinyu in the Auckland Classic final, a battle between two baseline specialists which featured only one service break.
The 19th career title boosted Svitolina’s Australian Open hopes. She reached the quarter-finals at Melbourne a year ago, her third time in the Australian Open's last eight. The world No. 13 was playing her first tournament in four months after ending her 2025 season early for mental health reasons.
“It definitely feels amazing to win another title and especially after not a very pleasant end of year for me,” said the 31-year-old.
“That break really helped me to regroup and come back with new energy.”
It was just the second time that 24-year-old Wang, the seventh seed, had reached a final.
The 57th-ranked player, who had an injury-plagued two years, qualified for her maiden final on grass in Berlin in 2025. AFP, REUTERS
