The Brisbane summer heat was positively sizzling, but nothing blazed brighter than Aryna Sabalenka’s relentless drive on the Pat Rafter Arena court. On January 11, 2026, the Belarusian world number one clinched her third Brisbane International title—and her second in a row—by dispatching Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-3 in a brisk 79-minute battle. It was a contest charged not just with athleticism, but with the weight of geopolitics and personal pride, as Sabalenka’s biceps-kissing celebration and Kostyuk’s emotional post-match speech underscored a final that was about far more than just tennis.
Sabalenka’s victory at the Queensland Tennis Centre marked her fifth career title on Australian soil from seven finals, including two Australian Opens—a record that cements her as a dominant force Down Under. She didn’t drop a single set throughout the tournament, a feat that has many tipping her as the hot favourite to claim her third Australian Open crown when the first Grand Slam of the year kicks off in Melbourne on January 18, 2026.
The match itself was a showcase of Sabalenka’s trademark power and growing finesse. Right from the first game, she set the tone—Kostyuk, known for her aggressive returns, attacked three second serves but sent each one long. The Ukrainian’s frustration was clear, especially after a double fault handed Sabalenka a fourth break chance in the opening service game. Sabalenka seized the early break, letting out a fierce yell that seemed to echo her intent: don’t show weakness, not for a second.
Yet, for all Sabalenka’s muscle, her tennis IQ shone just as brightly. She mixed blistering serves with clever cross-court winners, consolidating her early break with ease. Kostyuk, meanwhile, struggled to find rhythm, racking up three double faults in her first two service games. But the 23-year-old Ukrainian wasn’t about to go quietly. After a nervy start, she clawed her way back, breaking Sabalenka’s previously unassailable serve and celebrating with a fist pump and a scream—a brief spark of belief that she could turn the tide.
As the humid Brisbane afternoon wore on, both players settled into a rhythm, trading winners and gritted-teeth celebrations. There was even a rare moment of levity in the eighth game, when a mis-hit Kostyuk smash led to both women sharing a grin. But the smiles were fleeting. Sabalenka’s groundstrokes grew heavier, her returns more punishing, and Kostyuk’s serve faltered at the worst possible moment, surrendering the first set in just over 40 minutes.
That’s often when Sabalenka hits her stride, and this final was no exception. The roar that greeted her winner in the opening game of the second set was pure intimidation. She pressed her advantage, earning break points and forcing Kostyuk to scramble defensively. Even when Kostyuk produced moments of brilliance—a deft drop shot here, a return ace there—Sabalenka’s response was unwavering. She simply found another gear, another angle, another way to make her opponent play one more shot.
By the midpoint of the second set, the brutality of Sabalenka’s shots and the relentless pace had begun to tell. Kostyuk, visibly fatigued after a grueling rally to get on the board at 1-3, was being pushed from side to side, forced into errors by Sabalenka’s clever deployment of the drop shot. The Ukrainian’s unforced error count climbed, and even her best defensive efforts often ended with Sabalenka burying a winner past her toes.
Still, Kostyuk’s resolve never wavered. It was her first WTA singles final in two years and just her fourth overall, and she’d reached it by toppling three top-10 players—Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva, and world number six Jessica Pegula—without dropping a set. But against Sabalenka’s blend of power, precision, and big-match experience, the 16th seed was always up against it.
When the final point was played, Sabalenka sealed her 22nd WTA title—her first since lifting the US Open trophy in September 2025. Her celebration was pointed: she locked eyes with Kostyuk and kissed both biceps, a gesture widely seen as a response to Kostyuk’s earlier comments about Sabalenka’s strength and alleged testosterone levels. The post-match atmosphere was, understandably, frosty. Kostyuk declined to acknowledge Sabalenka directly, instead using her on-court interview to highlight the suffering of her compatriots in Ukraine, where winter temperatures had plunged to minus 20 degrees Celsius and infrastructure damage left many without heat or water.
"I want to say a few words about Ukraine," Kostyuk told the crowd, her voice trembling. "I play every day with a pain in my heart. There are thousands of people who are without light and warm water right now. It's minus 20 degrees outside so it's very, very painful to live this reality every day. It's very hot in Brisbane so it's difficult to imagine, you know, but my sister is sleeping under three blankets because of how cold it is at home." The crowd responded with a standing ovation, a testament to the power of sport to transcend borders, even in moments of division.
Sabalenka, for her part, congratulated Kostyuk and her team: "First of all I just want to congratulate Marta and her team on an incredible start to the season. I wish you all the best this season—it seems like it is going to be great tennis and I hope that we are going to meet each other many more times in finals." She also couldn’t resist a cheeky nod to her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, adding, "Hopefully soon I will call you somehow else. That just put extra pressure, right?" The crowd laughed, but the subtext was clear: Sabalenka’s focus is unbroken, her confidence sky-high.
Her run to the Brisbane title was as dominant as they come. She dispatched reigning Melbourne Park champion Madison Keys in the quarterfinals, then shrugged off a tricky semifinal against Karolina Muchova—who had beaten her in their last three meetings—with a 6-3, 6-4 win, closing out the match on her fourth match point. "There were a lot of close misses at the end of the second set, but I'm super happy to close this match in straight sets," Sabalenka said after that win. "She's a great opponent and I knew that if I gave her that opportunity in the last games, she would take it, and it would be a bit trickier to play. I'm super happy I got the win."
With the Australian Open looming, Sabalenka’s form is peaking at just the right moment. She’s now reached four consecutive finals on Australian soil and is gunning for a third Melbourne Park title in four years. Her blend of power, mental toughness, and tactical intelligence makes her the player to beat. But as the drama of Brisbane showed, tennis is never just about the numbers on the scoreboard. It’s about resilience, rivalry, and, sometimes, a little bit of showmanship.
As the lights dimmed on Pat Rafter Arena, Sabalenka’s message was clear: she’s ready for Melbourne. And if her rivals want to stop her, they’ll have to bring their very best—because the queen of Brisbane isn’t giving up her crown without a fight.
