Reigning women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka finds her name among a who’s who of modern-day Grand Slam heavyweights on the Brisbane International honour roll.
Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka and Elena Rybakina had all triumphed before her at Pat Rafter Arena in the season-opening WTA 500 event.
Only two names though – former No.1s Williams and Karolina Pliskova – have successfully defended their crown.
On Sunday, the top seed has the chance to become just the third in 15 years when she meets seed-dismantling Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk for the fifth time.
Two years ago, Sabalenka succumbed to a rampant Rybakina in the title match before she successfully defended her Australian Open crown weeks later.
Last year, she swept past Polina Kudermetova to become the newest women’s champion in Brisbane before Madison Keys halted her bid for a three-peat of AO titles at Melbourne Park.
The four-time major champion only conceded one game in her first outing of the new season against Cristina Bucsa and has not dropped more than seven against Sorana Cirstea, fifth seed Keys or 11th seed Muchova on her return to the decider.
She has not dropped a set to 16th seed Kostyuk in four encounters and has sounded an ominous warning her best could be to come.
“I definitely feel that compared to the first match here, I'm playing better and better,” Sabalenka said after she snapped a three-match losing streak against Muchova. “That's really important … heading to Melbourne, to build that level, and to play some great matches against great opponents.
“So I'm super happy with the performance so far and cannot wait to play my final match here.”
Kostyuk has ridden a swell of crowd support all week, rebounding from a set down against Yulia Putintseva before a flurry of straight-sets ledgers at Pat Rafter Arena against top-10 opponents – No.2 seed Amanda Anisimova, No.6 seed Mirra Andreeva and No.4 seed Jessica Pegula.
The third Ukrainian woman into a Brisbane final after Elina Svitolina (champion in 2018) and Lesia Tsurenko (finalist in 2019), Kostyuk knows a second WTA title after Austin in 2023 will not come easy.
“I mean, she's the world No.1, and she's achieved amazing things,” Kostyuk said. “She's a very powerful player. You know, I'm very excited to go out there. I think it's a great test, a great match to have before a Grand Slam.
“To be in the position that I am, to be in the final, pressure is not on me. I want to go out there and put on a good show for the crowd. The crowd has been amazing this week. I really have nothing to lose.”
Medvedev, Nakashima chase first Brisbane title
In the men’s final on Sunday night, top seed and former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev bids to open his season with a singles trophy in his first event of the season for the first time since his maiden title in Sydney eight years ago.
The No.1 seed reasserted his dominance on Saturday night – this time over Alex Michelsen, in a straight-sets semifinal – to stand on the cusp of his 22nd career title.
The 2019 finalist opened his campaign with imposing victories over Marton Fucsovics and former world No.10 Frances Tiafoe before lucky loser Kamil Majchrzak gave him in an early scare in a three-set quarterfinal.
Medvedev, who snapped an 882-day title drought in last year’s Almaty final, carries a 2-0 record into his clash with unseeded American Brandon Nakashima.
“I saw some of his matches and he’s playing great,” he said. “I’ve played him a couple of times, but not that many times to say we know each other in and out, so it’s going to be an interesting match-up I think. He’s playing great so I’m looking forward to the final.”
A former junior world No.3, Nakashima snared his first tour trophy in his home town of San Diego in 2022 before a left knee injury and a confidence dip unravelled his following season.
Having finished in the top 40 for the past two years, however, he was ready for the Medvedev challenge.
“My team and I, we put a lot of hard work in the last month or so, making sure the game was nice and tight leading up to these kind of tournaments,” Nakashima said. “We’re obviously really happy that it’s paying off the very first week of the year, but, you know, we’re going to try to keep going forward and continue to improve.”
In the men’s doubles final, top seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool look to defend their title when they meet third seeds Francisco Cabral and Lucas Midler in the first match at Pat Rafter Arena.
On Show Court 1, top seed Alfie Hewett will take on second seed Martin de la Puente for the inaugural Brisbane International singles title.
Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of one of the most exciting tournaments of the year. Tickets for the Brisbane International are on sale via Ticketmaster. Prices start at $30. Premium Experiences are on sale via Ticketmaster and the Premium Experiences Team.