Sabalenka Achieves Consecutive Brisbane Titles Without Dropping a Set

Aryna Sabalenka, ranked World No 1, successfully defended her Brisbane International title by defeating Marta Kostyuk in the final, winning 6-4, 6-3 in just over an hour. This victory marked her 22nd career title, with Sabalenka not dropping a single set throughout the tournament. Kostyuk had previously beaten several top players, including Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva, and Jessica Pegula, but ultimately fell short against Sabalenka's powerful groundstrokes. Sabalenka now looks to carry this momentum into the Australian Open, which begins on January 18. The Belarusian has a strong record in Melbourne, having reached the last three finals and winning in 2023 and 2024. In the lead-up to the Brisbane final, Sabalenka exacted revenge on Madison Keys, who had beaten her in 2025, by defeating the American in the quarter-finals. Following her loss, Kostyuk spoke about the struggles faced by people in Ukraine due to Russian bombing, expressing her pain and concern for those affected. Meanwhile, in other tennis news, Elina Svitolina won the ASB Classic in Auckland, claiming her 19th career title by beating Xinyu Wang 6-3, 7-6. Alexander Bublik also secured his ninth career title by winning the men's event in Hong Kong, defeating Lorenzo Musetti 7-6, 6-3, and moving into the world's top 10 for the first time. Italian player Musetti remains without a title since October 2022, despite rising to a career-high No 5 in the rankings. Daniil Medvedev won the men's Brisbane International, securing his 22nd career title by beating Brandon Nakashima in straight sets.