Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open.
Sabalenka 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.
However, 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 to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final.
Photo: AFP
“I struggled against her a couple of times [in the past],” Sabalenka, 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,” she said. “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.
Photo: AFP
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 Sunday next week.
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,” she said. “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.
Kostyuk’s demolition of the American made it three wins over top 10 players in succession.
She beat world number three 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.”
Meanwhile, Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei and her Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko cruised to an easy finish to capture the Brisbane International women’s doubles title yesterday.
The top-seeded pair dominated the final, defeating Ellen Perez of Australia and Cristina Bucsa of Spain in straight sets.
In the first set, Hsieh and Ostapenko easily took control, breaking early to take a 3-0 lead and saving three break points before closing it 6-2.
Carrying their momentum into the second set, they raced to a 4-0 lead and sealed the match 6-1.
The victory at the Brisbane tournament also marked the first time Hsieh won a title alongside Ostapenko and gave the 40-year-old added confidence ahead of the Australian Open.
Before that, Hsieh had won a total of 36 women’s doubles titles on the WTA Tour with nine different partners, enjoying her most success with China’s Peng Shuai with 12 titles, and Barbora Strycova with 10.
Ostapenko became the 10th person to lift a WTA trophy with Hsieh, further cementing the latter’s reputation as a versatile doubles specialist.
Elsewhere in Australia, Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed the singles title at the WTA Workday Canberra International, defeating Uzbekistan’s Polina Kudermetova, the No. 3 seed, 6-4, 6-2 in straight sets yesterday.
The tournament is part of the WTA 125 series.
In a match that lasted 1 hour, 24 minutes, 24-year-old Garland, the world no. 129 and Taiwan’s highest-ranked female singles player, maintained an attacking stance and broke serve in the pivotal seventh game to claim the opening set.
She dominated the next game, scoring four consecutive points. Although her opponent tried to fight back, Garland secured the victory at the Canberra Tennis Centre.
After six attempts since 2012, Garland became the first Taiwanese woman to win a WTA 125 singles title.
She is also the fourth Taiwanese player to reach a WTA 125 singles final after Kelly Chang, Latisha Chan and Hsieh Su-wei.
Garland won the Taiwan national U18 tennis championship in 2016 and began competing on the professional circuit in 2019.
She closed out 2024 with a 29-match winning streak on the ITF Circuit, including five consecutive titles.
Garland carried that momentum into last year, adding three more ITF singles crowns and reaching a career-high of No. 120 in the world on Nov. 3 last year, according to the WTA.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei and her Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko cruised to an easy finish to capture the Brisbane International women’s doubles title yesterday.
The top-seeded pair dominated the final, defeating Ellen Perez of Australia and Cristina Bucsa of Spain in straight sets.
In the first set, Hsieh and Ostapenko easily took control, breaking early to take a 3-0 lead and saving three break points before closing it 6-2.
Carrying their momentum into the second set, they raced to a 4-0 lead and sealed the match 6-1.
The victory at the Brisbane tournament also marked the first time Hsieh won a title alongside Ostapenko and gave the 40-year-old added confidence ahead of the Australian Open.
Before that, Hsieh had won a total of 36 women’s doubles titles on the WTA Tour with nine different partners, enjoying her most success with China’s Peng Shuai with 12 titles, and Barbora Strycova with 10.
Ostapenko became the 10th person to lift a WTA trophy with Hsieh, further cementing the latter’s reputation as a versatile doubles specialist.
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