In the Brisbane International finals, Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka defeated Russian qualifier Polina Kudermetova 4-6 6-3 6-2 to prepare for her title defence at the year’s first Grand Slam.
Sabalenka will compete at Melbourne Park, hoping to become the first woman to win three consecutive Australian Open titles since Swiss champion Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
With her win, the athlete said: “I’m super happy to lift this trophy… It’s a really important tournament before heading into the Australian Open. The final match was a bit tricky, (both of us) were over-hitting.”
She added: “I’m really curious about the average speed of our shots. It was a crazy match, and I’m really glad I got this win.”
In a social media post, Sabalenka shared: “Starting 2025 on the right foot 💪🏼Thank you Brisbane! 🫶🏼”
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Highlights of the game
In the first set against Kudermetova, the world No. 1 from Belarus, who lost to Elena Rybakina in the previous year’s final before winning a second consecutive Melbourne Park title, looked slow and dropped her serve for the second time.
More so, Kudermetova was put under strain on service in the first game of the following set, but she overcame it and started to control play by hitting Sabalenka with more force from the baseline.
Sabalenka remarked: “That was really great tennis from her… It was really aggressive. She has some variations and she was using it really well. She definitely deserved to be in the final. I’m pretty sure if she continues working the way she is, then she will be in the top 50 soon.”
An amazing drop shot gave Sabalenka the lead, and the 26-year-old looked much more like her own powerful self in the remainder of the set as she forced a decider. To win her maiden title of the season, Sabalenka blocked Kudermetova’s late comeback attempt and broke in the last set with a clean crosscourt forehand winner, serving yet another reminder of her abilities.
Source: CNA