World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka defended her Brisbane International crown by beating Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-3. The Belarusian claimed her 22nd career WTA title and fifth in Australia, becoming one of only three women to defend the season-opening WTA 500 event
Published Date – 12 January 2026, 12:00 AM
Brisbane: World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her Brisbane International crown, defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour and 18 minutes at Pat Rafter Arena on Sunday.
The Belarusian won the trophy without dropping a set all week. This was Sabalenka’s fifth title in Australia and the 22nd overall of her career, pushing her past Victoria Azarenka for the third-most WTA Tour titles among active players, behind Venus Williams and Iga Swiatek.
“It’s super special… I’m happy to start this season on a very high note. Happy with the level I was able to show throughout this week,” she said.
Sabalenka also became one of only three women to defend the season-opening WTA 500 title, joining Serena Williams and Karolina Pliskova on the tournament’s honour roll. She is ranked third among active players for most tournament victories, trailing only Venus Williams (49) and Iga Swiatek (25), as per WTA stats.
Sabalenka imposed pressure early as she raced to a 3-0 first-set lead. Kostyuk fought back, winning three straight games to level at 3-all, but Sabalenka raised her intensity, converting the second of five break points to secure the 40-minute first set.
She carried the momentum into the second set, building a streak of six straight games and holding a 3-0 lead. A drop shot followed by a crosscourt forehand winner gave her a 4-1 cushion, and she closed out the match comfortably.
“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. It seems like it is going to be great tennis, and I hope we meet many more times in finals,” said Sabalenka, who has not lost a set in five matches against the Ukrainian.
With her first title of 2026 secured, Sabalenka now turns her attention to the Australian Open, where she is the defending runner-up after losing to Madison Keys in last year’s final. She will enter as the No 1 seed as she chases a third title in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Kostyuk will return to the Top 20 in the WTA Rankings on Monday and looks set for a deeper Australian Open run than last year, when she exited in the third round to Paula Badosa.
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