BRISBANE: Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominant start to the season with a commanding 6-3, 6-4 victory over Karolina Muchova at the Brisbane International on Saturday, booking her place in the final for the third consecutive year.
The world number one arrived in the semi-final brimming with confidence after a straight-sets win over reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and she showed little sign of slowing down. Despite Muchova’s reputation for creative shot-making and a favorable 3-1 head-to-head record against her, Sabalenka quickly took charge with an early break of serve.
Mixing heavy baseline power with deft touches, the Belarusian controlled the tempo throughout the match, sealing the opening set with a thunderous backhand winner. She maintained her authority in the second set to close out the contest in straight sets.
Sabalenka will now face either American Jessica Pegula or Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the final. Meanwhile, the men’s draw features strong American representation, with Aleksandar Kovacevic taking on Brandon Nakashima and Alex Michelsen set to meet top seed Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals for a place in Sunday’s title match.
