Aryna Sabalenka Solid at the Start of the Year

BRISBANE, TUESDAY – Aryna Sabalenka only needed 48 minutes to win her first match in the women's singles category in 2026. Her solid performance allowed her to lose just one game during the second round of the WTA 500 Brisbane tournament.

The match took place against Cristina Bucsa at the Queensland Tennis Centre in Brisbane, Australia, on Tuesday (January 6, 2026). Sabalenka entered the match after receiving a bye in the first round as one of the 16 seeds. The top seed won 6-0, 6-1.

Sabalenka excelled in many statistical indicators, winning 54 out of 76 points (71.1 percent) contested. Of those points, four were earned from aces.

"My service is very good. I have served and volleyed several times and 'wow', I am pleased with my level of play. I am happy to be back here and able to play well in front of you," said Sabalenka to the audience in the stadium.

When playing against male athletes, the intensity is different, especially against Nick. He throws a lot of drop shots, which makes me have to move a lot.

The victory that led her to face Sorana Cirstea in the third round opens up opportunities for Sabalenka to start the competition season well. She won the WTA 500 Brisbane 2025, was a finalist in the same tournament in 2024 (losing to Elena Rybakina), and became the champion of WTA 500 Adelaide 2023.

In addition to preparations during the break between the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Sabalenka believes that there is a positive influence on her performance in Brisbane from the exhibition match against Australian male tennis player, Nick Kyrgios. The match in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on December 28, 2025, was titled "Battle of Sexes."

"When playing against male players, the intensity is different, especially against Nick. He throws a lot of drop shots, so I have to move a lot. That tests my physical endurance. Today, I felt like I could move well," said the athlete with two Australian Open Grand Slam titles and two US Open titles.

Sabalenka is one of three top five-ranked tennis players participating in Brisbane, one of the warm-up events for the Australian Open, from January 18 to February 1. The other players are Amanda Anisimova, who holds the third rank, and Elena Rybakina (5).

The second-ranked athlete, Iga Swiatek, and Cori "Coco" Gauff (4), have chosen to participate in the mixed team championship, the United Cup, in Sydney and Perth. This tournament features 18 teams competing in six groups during the preliminary round. The group winners, along with the two best teams from both cities, will advance to the quarter-finals.

Swiatek, who plays for Poland, and Coco (USA) did not perform as solidly as Sabalenka. Coco even lost to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 1-6, 7-6 (3), 0-6 in Group A on Monday, although the USA won 2-1 against Spain. In addition to Spain, the USA also defeated Argentina and secured a place in the quarter-finals.

Swiatek also played three sets when facing Eva Lys (Germany) but still managed to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Poland won 3-0 and will face the Netherlands on Wednesday to open up the opportunity to advance from Group H. Other teams, besides the United States, that have qualified for the quarter-finals are Argentina, Belgium, Switzerland, and Greece.

In addition to the WTA Brisbane and the United Cup, female tennis players are preparing for the Australian Open by competing in the WTA 250 Auckland, New Zealand, this week. Indonesian player Janice Tjen, who was seeded sixth, lost to Sonya Kartal (England) with a score of 1-6, 7-6 (4), 3-6 in the first round.

Janice compensated for that defeat by winning the first round of women's doubles alongside Caty McNally (USA). They defeated Magali Kempen/Anna Siskova (Belgium/Czech Republic) 7-5, 7-5. In the quarter-finals, Tjen will face her senior, Aldila Sutjiadi, who is partnered with Japanese athlete, Makoto Ninomiya.

Janice appeared at the WTA Auckland as the 54th-ranked tennis player in the world. She achieved this after participating in the WTA Tour series and the US Open Grand Slam since August 2025. Her best result in the early stages of her journey on the WTA Tour was winning the WTA 250 Chennai in both singles and women's doubles. (AP)