Aryna

World no 1 becomes back-to-back champion at the Brisbane International with a straight sets victory over Marta Kostyuk.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka brushed aside Marta Kostyuk 6-4 6-3 in the Brisbane International final on Sunday to retain the title without losing a set ahead of her bid to reclaim the Australian Open title this month.

Kostyuk had beaten top 10 players Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova on her way to the final but was no match for the sheer power of the US Open champion.

Sabalenka is determined to win back the Australian Open title she relinquished last year and her performance in the fierce Brisbane heat, suggests she will be hard to beat at Melbourne Park this month.

“Thank you to my team for handling me. I’m really the toughest one to handle, and you guys are the toughest people in the world if you can handle me,” she told the crowd before directing a comment at partner Georgios Frangulis in the stands.

“Thank you to my boyfriend. Hopefully, soon I’ll call you something else, right? Let’s just put a bit of extra pressure on, right?”

Sabalenka overpowers Kostyuk

Sabalenka raced off to a 3-0 lead in the opening set before coming a bit unstuck as her first serve deserted her and her 23-year-old opponent feasted on her second.

There were the familiar hangdog expressions as Sabalenka raised her eyes to the skies in reaction to spraying a shot high and wide, but it did not last for long.

Rallying at 3-3, Sabalenka reduced the number of wild swings and heaped the pressure on her 26th-ranked opponent with the sheer power and accuracy of her strokes.

She quickly wrapped up the opening set and was soon 3-0 up in the second after again taking Ukrainian Kostyuk’s first service game.

There was no way back for Kostyuk this time and she faced a real battle just to hold her serve three times before Sabalenka served out to secure her 22nd WTA title, sealing the deal when her opponent netted a return on her first championship point.

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.”

Sabalenka will be gunning for a third Australian Open and fifth major title at the year’s first Grand Slam, which starts on January 18.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka reached the final of the Brisbane International for the third year in a row with a 6-3 6-4 win against Karolina Muchova.

Sabalenka is aiming to win a third Australian Open title in four years later this month and continued her preparations with a dominant victory to set up a final against Marta Kostyuk, who beat fourth seed Jessica Pegula 6-0 6-3.

A French Open runner-up in 2023, Czech Muchova had won her previous three matches against Sabalenka.

But Muchova had no answer to the Belarusian’s power at the Queensland Tennis Centre and, although three match points slipped away, Sabalenka sealed victory when a Muchova shot sailed long.

“I’m super happy that today was the day when I was able to get the win,” Sabalenka said.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka showed flashes of the emotion she demonstrates in competitive matches, bearing a mischievous grin when she won points.

“I felt great. I think I put up a great fight. He was struggling, he got really tired,” Sabalenka said afterwards.

“I think it was a great level, I made a lot of great shots, moved a lot to the net, drop shots. I really enjoyed the show. Next time when I play him, I already know the tactics, his strengths and weaknesses, and it will be a better match for sure.

“I love to challenge myself and I’d love to play again.”

Critics had questioned Kyrgios’ suitability as the male protagonist in the match, given he admitted assaulting an ex-girlfriend in 2021 and has made a series of comments which have been considered misogynistic.

The Australian, who was ranked 13th in the world at his peak, played with an air of insouciance throughout. His movement was limited as he worked to shorten points where possible.

He will be delighted to have secured victory in little over an hour as he looks to build fitness for what he hopes will be a fuller return to the ATP Tour in 2026.

The pair, whose friendship appears genuine and was demonstrated by their japes throughout the match, shared an affable embrace at the net.

“Honestly, it was a really tough match, she is a hell of a player and such a great champion,” said Kyrgios.

“I didn’t really know what to expect. Whatever role I was to play, it was just another great opportunity to go out here.”

Cynics have wondered exactly what the point of the event is.

Sabalenka and Kyrgios insist it is to attract a different audience to the sport, with an emphasis on fun, entertainment and celebrity culture.

“There are question marks – and that scares people,” Kyrgios said.

“For us, it is exciting and gives us that thrill. I think events like this need to happen more in the tennis world.”

The event, being held at the 17,000-seater Coca-Cola Arena, is on track to be sold out.

Tickets range from about £100 in the upper tier stands to upwards of £600 on courtside benches.

“Sport and entertainment is the same thing – people come to watch sport for the unknown, that’s why it is not played on paper,” Kyrgios said.

“Whether it’s good or bad, they want to remember something they are going to see in everyday life.”

Billie Jean King, who beat Bobby Riggs in the second Battle of the Sexes match in 1973, hopes it will be a “great” match but says it is “not the same” as her era-defining event.

King’s victory over former Wimbledon champion Riggs – a 55-year-old self-proclaimed chauvinist – was a landmark moment in the fight for gender equality and laid the path for equal pay at the top of the game.

“Ours was about social change; culturally, where we were in 1973. This one is not,” King told BBC Sport.