Sabalenka reaches third straight Brisbane final
World number one Aryna Sabalenka advanced to her third consecutive Brisbane International final after defeating Karolina Muchova in straight sets on Saturday, just a week before the Australian Open.
Sabalenka was in strong form against the Czech player, who had won their previous three encounters and was among the few competitors with a winning record against the top-ranked Belarusian, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
Demonstrating her trademark power and consistency, Sabalenka broke Muchova once in each set to claim a 6-3, 6-4 victory in the semifinal, which lasted 89 minutes.
“I struggled against her a couple of times in the past,” Sabalenka said. “I’m happy that today I was focused from the beginning and able to show great tennis, put her under a lot of pressure, and win in straight sets.”
"That's just super great."
The 27-year-old Belarusian said she could feel her level getting better with every match in Brisbane, where she is yet to drop a set.
She said that with seven of the world's top 10 having entered, it was ideal preparation for the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on January 18.
Sabalenka is aiming to win a third Australian Open in four years.
"I definitely feel that compared to the first match here, I'm playing better and better," she said.
"That's really important heading to Melbourne, to build that level, and to play some great matches against great opponents.
"So I'm super happy with the performance so far and cannot wait to play my final match here."
Sabalenka, the defending champion, will play either fourth seed Jessica Pegula or Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in Sunday's final.
Similar news
