Aryna Sabalenka into third straight Brisbane final ahead of Australian Open

BRISBANE – Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row on Jan 10, a week ahead of the Australian Open.

She looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1.

But Sabalenka showed her class and power, as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes and will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final.

“I struggled against her a couple of times (in the past),” the defending champion said of Muchova.

“I’m happy that today I was focused from the beginning, and I was able to show such great tennis and put her under so much pressure and get the win in straight sets. That’s just super great.”

The 27-year-old Belarusian said she could feel her level getting better with every match in Brisbane, where she is yet to drop a set.

She said that with seven of the world’s top 10 having entered, it was ideal preparation for the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on Jan 18.

Sabalenka is aiming to win a third Australian Open in four years.

“I definitely feel that compared to the first match here, I’m playing better and better,” she said.

“That’s really important heading to Melbourne, to build that level, and to play some great matches against great opponents. So I’m super happy with the performance so far and cannot wait to play my final match here.”

Kostyuk, who entered the week ranked 26th in the world, swept past world No. 6 Jessica Pegula 6-0, 6-3 in just 55 minutes in a stunning display of power and aggression.

Her demolition of the American made it three wins over top 10 players in succession.

She beat world No. 3 Amanda Anisimova in the third round and ninth-ranked Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals.

“I think it was one of those days today when everything you touch turns into gold,” Kostyuk said.

“Personally, I didn’t have many matches like this in my career, especially against top-10 players, so it’s a great bonus to have such a match because it’s not easy conditions in Brisbane. It’s very hot, very humid.”

Kostyuk has never beaten Sabalenka in four previous meetings but said the pressure was all on her opponent.

“The pressure is not on me – I want to go out there and put on a good show for the crowd,” she said. “I really have nothing to lose.”

The men’s competition in Brisbane is less star-studded but will feature former world No. 1 and 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the final.

The Russian beat American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-2 on Jan 10 to book his spot. He will face Michelsen’s compatriot Brandon Nakashima, who defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in an all-American semi-final.

At the mixed-team United Cup in Perth and Sydney, Switzerland booked their final spot, seeing off Belgium 2-1 on Jan 10. Belinda Bencic and Jakub Paul got the winning point by beating Zizou Bergs and Elise Mertens 6-3, 0-6, 10-5 in mixed doubles. Bencic has a perfect eight match wins so far at this tournament.

The Swiss face Poland, who stunned two-time champions the United States 2-1 to reach their third straight final. Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa’s 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) win over Coco Gauff and Christian Harrison sealed victory.

Over in Incheon, Carlos Alcaraz beat great rival Jannik Sinner in a light-hearted sell-out exhibition match in South Korea on Jan 10.

Taking place eight days before the Melbourne Grand Slam and in their first appearances in 2026, the Spanish world No. 1 won 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) in front of an enthusiastic 12,000 crowd at the Inspire Arena.

Neither will play competitively until the Australian Open, where Italy’s world No. 2 Sinner is the two-time defending champion.

“It was an entertaining match, that’s why we came here and obviously now the main goal is in Australia,” Sinner said.

“At the end of the day, exhibition matches are different, you are a bit more relaxed and also entertaining the crowd a little bit more with different shots and different actions on court.”

South Korean organisers have not said how much the two players earned from the event, but reports in Italy suggest each could pocket more than US$2 million (S$2.6 million) for the match that lasted one hour and 47 minutes.

“We all need the support from the fans. So having the support and feeling the love from the people was necessary for me to perform my best and play great tennis like I did today,” Alcaraz said.
AFP, REUTERS