World no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will kick off the 2025 season at the Brisbane International in the first week of the new year. The Belarusian player will compete in Brisbane for the second straight year, launching her 2024 campaign at this event and falling to Elena Rybakina in the final. Aryna is in Riyadh, scoring two wins at the WTA Finals and booking a place in the semi-final. Sabalenka will wrap up the season on the WTA throne for the first time in a career, lifting four WTA titles this year, including two hard-court Majors. The Belarusian also celebrated in Cincinnati and Wuhan, passing Iga Swiatek and terminating the season as the best player.
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Sabalenka's 2024 Brisbane International run
Aryna competed in Brisbane in January this year as the top seed, facing Lucia Bronzeti in the second round. The better-ranked player served well and kept the pressure on the other side in a 6-3, 6-0 victory. Sabalenka delivered a single break in the opening set before dominating the second, notching a bagel and moving into the last 16. The 15th seed Lin Zhu stood no chance against the Belarusian Tiger, with Aryna scoring a convincing 6-1, 6-0 triumph in 70 minutes.
World no. 2 denied four of five break points, losing serve once at the beginning of the duel and missing a double bagel. The Chinese dropped almost 70% of the points in her games, losing serve six times and allowing her rival to rattle off 12 games and sail over the top. World no. 18 Daria Kasatkina could not halt Sabalenka's progress, with the Belarusian earning a 6-1, 6-4 victory for a place in the semi-final. Aryna grabbed three straight breaks in the opening set and extended the gap with another in the fifth game of set number two.
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World no. 2 denied break points at 3-2 and moved over the top with a hold at 5-4. Sabalenka faced Victoria Azarenka in the semi-final and produced another rock-solid performance, ousting her compatriot 6-2, 6-4 in an hour and a half. The younger player fired ten aces and denied all three break points. She scored two breaks in the opening set and survived a scare in games seven and nine of set number two. Aryna saved two break points at 4-4 and moved over the top with a break in the next one.
Title clash against Elena Rybakina
Sabalenka met Elena Rybakina in the Brisbane International final and suffered a heavy 6-0, 6-3 defeat, finishing runner-up. Elena outplayed Aryna behind the first and second serve, delivering a bagel in the opener and dropping serve once in set number two. She notched five return games, emerging at the top in style and lifting a trophy. The Kazakh was the only player on the court in the opening set, taming her strokes nicely and drawing errors from world no. 2. Rybakina broke two more times at the beginning of the second set, forging a 6-0, 3-1 advantage in 54 minutes against a frustrated opponent. Elena provided three comfortable holds by the end of the duel, holding at 15 in game nine with a service winner and polishing off her rock-solid performance.
