Aryna Sabalenka defeated Karolina Muchova to reach the Brisbane Open final and will defend her title against Marta Kostyuk.
Published January 10, 2026
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka outclassed Karolina Muchova to win 6-3, 6-4 at the Brisbane International and reach the final of the Australian Open conditioning tournament for the third consecutive year.
In Sunday’s title fight, the Belarusian will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk. Koszczuk defeated world No. 6 Jessica Pegula 6-0, 6-3 and also defeated Amanda Anisimova and Mila Andreeva in the past two rounds to finish in the top 10 for the third consecutive year.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
World number one Sabalenka continued her fine form in her first tournament of the season, defeating reigning Melbourne Park champion Madison Keys in straight sets in the quarter-finals heading into Saturday’s match with Muchova.
Muchova, who is known for her inventive brand of tennis and had a 3-1 record against Sabalenka, including wins in their previous three meetings, was expected to be more difficult.
Sabalenka defied that statistic, breaking in the second game and taking full control of the semifinal match, showing deft touch and power from the baseline to take the first set and finish with a big backhand winner.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, who is aiming for his third title at the Australian Open, which begins at Melbourne Park on January 18, was pushed further in the next set, but was able to retake the lead at 5-4 and win on serve.
Sabalenka, who saved her fourth match point, said, “I made a lot of unfortunate mistakes at the end of the second set, but I’m very happy that I was able to end this match in straight sets.”
“She’s a great opponent and we knew that if we gave her that chance in the last match, she would grab it and it would be a little tricky to play. I’m very happy to get the win.”
Three Americans competed in the semifinals of the Brisbane men’s tournament, with Brandon Nakashima defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6 (4), 6-4, while compatriot Alex Mikkelsen lost to top-seeded Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-2.
At the Auckland Classic, Filipino Alexandra Ella converted a match point to beat China’s Wang Xinyu 5-7, 7-5, 6-4. Wang’s next opponent was Elina Svitolina, who defeated Iva Jovic 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the second semi-final match.
Top seed Lorenzo Musetti reached the final of the Hong Kong Open, defeating Andrei Rublev 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-4 in a last-four match. Alexander Bublik defeated Marcos Giron 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the second semi-final match, setting up a title showdown with Musetti.
