World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka won her 22nd career singles title and the first of 2026 by defeating Marta Kostyuk in the Brisbane International final on Sunday.
Sabalenka, the defending champion, overcame the world No. 26 Kostyuk 6-4, 6-3 in just one hour and 18 minutes, securing back-to-back Brisbane International titles for the second consecutive year.
The victory marked a flawless run for Sabalenka at the Australian Open warm-up event, as she did not drop a set in any of her five matches. She became only the third woman in the tournament’s 17-year history to win consecutive Brisbane International titles.
Since the start of 2023, Sabalenka’s record in Australia has been impressive, with 38 wins and just two losses across various tournaments. In the final, she broke Kostyuk’s serve early in both sets to take 3-0 leads, though the Ukrainian managed to break back in the first set. Sabalenka sealed the title with a powerful wide serve, converting her first championship point after setting up two with an ace down the middle.
Kostyuk, who had defeated three top-10 opponents en route to the final, was unable to counter Sabalenka’s dominance in the second set.
With the Australian Open set to begin on January 18 in Melbourne, Sabalenka aims to secure her third Grand Slam title in four years, continuing her strong start to the 2026 season.