Aryna Sabalenka wins her first tournament of new season yet again
NewsSunday, 11 January 2026 at 08:49
Aryna Sabalenka seems to be almost unstoppable in her first tournament of every new season, as she has won yet another one.
It has almost become a tradition that Sabalenka starts a new season by winning a title. She did it in 2019, winning the title in Shenzhen. She then started her 2021 season with a win in Abu Dhabi, and has dominated in Australia in recent years. The Belarusian player won the Adelaide International in 2023, and she has now won the Brisbane International twice in a row.
That means Sabalenka has won the first tournament of a new season in five of the last eight seasons. In 2020, she lost her second match in Shenzhen, in 2022, she lost her first match in Adelaide, and in 2024, she lost in the Brisbane International final, but then won the Australian Open without losing a set.
Brisbane has become a lucky place for Sabalenka this year. She plans to miss some events in 2026, but she couldn't miss the first tournament of the year. The WTA world No. 1 player beat Cristina Bucsa, Sorana Cirstea, Madison Keys, and Karolina Muchova, all without losing a set, to set up the final meeting with Marta Kostyuk.
Sabalenka was unstoppable in the final as well. She started the final match by winning three games in a row, and even though she quickly lost that advantage, she barely missed since the scoreboard first showed 4-4 in the first set. The Belarusian player won eight of the last nine points in the first set, winning it 6-4.
The top seed then had to face a break point in the opening game of the second set, but after Kostyuk couldn't convert her chance into a break, Sabalenka dominated the remainder of the set to win the match 6-4, 6-3, lifting her first title of the 2026 season. She did it without losing a set.
The ceremony after the final match was quite unusual. Kostyuk, as a Ukrainian, didn't shake hands with her Belarusian opponent after the match, and the two players didn't have a joint photoshoot either. Sabalenka still wished her opponent well for 2026 during her speech.
Marta Kostyuk speaks about hardship in Ukraine after the Brisbane final
Kostyuk also spoke about the current living conditions in Ukraine after losing the final. She mentioned that her sister has to sleep under three blankets because it's very cold in Ukraine at the moment, and homes can't be properly heated because of the ongoing war.
"I wanna say a few words about Ukraine. I play every day with pain in my heart. There are thousands of people who are without light and warm water right now. It’s -20 degrees outside. It’s very painful to live this reality every day. My sister is sleeping under three blankets because of how cold it is at home. I was incredibly moved and happy to see so many Ukrainian flags this week."
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