Sabalenka wins Brisbane final amid frosty exchange with Kostyuk

High-ranked Aryna Sabalenka has captured her second consecutive Brisbane Worldwide title, and twenty second total, with a straight-sets victory over Marta Kostyuk on Sunday (January 11, 2026).

It was the third 12 months in a row Sabalanka appeared within the ultimate, and the Belarusian participant seemed in comfy environment as she closed out a 6-4, 6-3 victory in simply 1 hour and 17 minutes at Pat Rafter Area.

The Brisbane Worldwide is a tuneup occasion for this 12 months’s Australian Open, which begins Jan. 18.

Excessive depth ultimate

Kostyuk went exhausting early by attacking Sabalenka’s second serve, clawing again an early break with chic drop pictures that briefly rattled the world’s top-ranked participant.

Nonetheless, the Belarusian’s relentless depth and match-smarts proved decisive as she exploited the oppressive Brisbane humidity with punishing baseline rallies to clinch the opening set in 40 minutes.

As Kostyuk wilted underneath the bodily pressure, Sabalenka accelerated within the second set.

With a mixture of raking groundstrokes and misleading drop pictures, she pressured a mounting error rely from the Ukrainian to shut out the match with out dropping a set all week.

Frosty post-match ambiance

After sealing the victory, Sabalenka seemed down the courtroom at Kostyuk and kissed each biceps — a probable nod to earlier feedback by the Ukrainian that she possessed greater testosterone ranges than different gamers.

Kostyuk has stated the feedback made in an interview final 12 months had been taken out of context, however additional the tensions between the pair because the Ukranian’s refusal to shake Sabalenka’s hand after a match on the French Open in 2023.

The change resulted in a frosty post-match presentation. Throughout the trophy ceremony, Kostyuk spoke passionately about her homeland however notably declined to say Sabalenka by title.

“I wish to say a couple of phrases about Ukraine,” Kostyuk stated. “I play every single day with a ache in my coronary heart. There are literally thousands of people who find themselves with out mild and heat water proper now, it is minus 20 levels exterior proper now, so it is very, very painful to dwell this actuality every single day.

“I used to be extremely moved and glad to see so many Ukrainian followers and flags right here this week … Slava Ukraini.” Sabalenka, in the meantime, congratulated Kostyuk, stating she hoped they might meet in one other ultimate quickly. She additionally took a cheeky dig at her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis throughout her victory speech.

“Hopefully, quickly I’ll name you by some means else,” Sabalenka stated, Frangulis within the participant’s field. “That simply put additional strain, proper?”

Later Sunday, top-seeded Daniil Medvedev performed Brandon Nakashima within the ultimate of the boys’s event at Brisbane.

The previous No. 1-ranked Medvedev is in search of his twenty second profession title, whereas it is going to be Nakashima’s first ATP Tour ultimate in 4 years. (