Sabalenka Clinches Brisbane Crown, Keeps Australian Momentum Alive

Match recap

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka captured the Brisbane International title on Sunday, beating Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, in a 78-minute final at Pat Rafter Arena. The win keeps Sabalenka's Brisbane crown intact in this 500-point event.

This is her second Brisbane title, her fifth in Australia, and the 22nd of her career, moving her past Victoria Azarenka to become the third-most prolific active title winner on the WTA Tour, behind Venus Williams and Iga Swiatek.

Sabalenka did not drop a set all week, despite Kostyuk's persistent challenge in the final. In the trophy ceremony, Sabalenka congratulated Kostyuk and her team on a spectacular start to the season and said she hopes to meet many more times in finals to keep delivering exciting tennis.

Week in review and what's next

The two players produced high-level tennis throughout the tournament, with Sabalenka clearing strong names like Madison Keys and Karolina Muchova, while Kostyuk posted one of her best weeks, defeating several Top 10 opponents before running into a sharp Sabalenka in the final.

With her first title of 2026, Sabalenka now turns her attention to the Australian Open, entering as the top seed and chasing her third Melbourne title as she aims to negate last year's final setback to Keys.

For Kostyuk, the defeat is tempered by significant gains; she returns to the top 20 on Monday and looks well placed for a deep Melbourne run.

Punchline 1: If tennis had a GPS, Sabalenka would never get lost — she always finds the winner's corner.

Punchline 2: Kostyuk is so ready for Melbourne that even her trophy cabinet is practicing its victory speech.