Sabalenka beats Kostyuk to defend Brisbane crown

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka underlined her dominance on the WTA Tour by winning her second consecutive Brisbane International title on Sunday, defeating Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-3 in a high-intensity final marked by both elite tennis and visible off-court tension.

Playing her third straight Brisbane final, Sabalenka looked increasingly at home on the Pat Rafter Arena court as she sealed her 22nd career title in just 1 hour and 17 minutes. The victory also completed a flawless week for the Belarusian, who did not drop a set in the tournament and entered the Australian Open as one of the top favourites.

The Brisbane International is the final warm-up event before the Australian Open , which begins on January 18 in Melbourne.

Kostyuk began the final with intent, immediately targeting Sabalenka’s second serve and showing creativity with well-timed drop shots. The Ukrainian briefly unsettled the top seed by recovering an early break and forcing long, physical rallies in oppressive humidity.

However, Sabalenka’s experience and relentless power soon tilted the contest. She absorbed Kostyuk’s early aggression before raising her level, using heavy baseline hitting to control the points and close out the opening set in 40 minutes.

As the match wore on, the physical demands appeared to catch up with Kostyuk. Sabalenka accelerated in the second set, mixing depth, pace and occasional touch shots to force a rising error count from her opponent. She maintained constant pressure from the back of the court and calmly closed out the match to claim another Brisbane crown.

The final, however, was overshadowed by a frosty post-match atmosphere between the two players. After match point, Sabalenka looked toward Kostyuk and kissed both her biceps, a gesture widely interpreted as a reference to past comments made by Kostyuk about Sabalenka, which the Ukrainian later said had been taken out of context.

Relations between the pair have remained strained since Kostyuk declined to shake Sabalenka’s hand following a match at the 2023 French Open, amid broader tensions involving Belarusian and Russian players.

The tension carried into the trophy ceremony. Kostyuk delivered an emotional speech focused on the situation in Ukraine, thanking supporters and highlighting the hardships faced by people back home, but did not mention Sabalenka by name.

Sabalenka, for her part, kept her remarks light, congratulating Kostyuk and expressing hope they would meet again in another final. She also drew laughter by making a playful comment directed at her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, during her speech.

Later on Sunday, top see d Daniil Medvedev faced American Brandon Nakashima in the men’s final, with Medvedev chasing his 22nd career ATP title and Nakashima appearing in his first tour final in four years.