Arina Sabalenka defeated Madison Keys on the 9th. Photo Brisbane International
[Reporter Kim Kyung-moo]World No. 1 Arina Sabalenka (27, Belarus) and No. 5 Elena Rybakina (26, Kazakhstan). The most anticipated match between the two players before the opening of the 2026 Australian Open was unfortunately canceled.
There were mixed emotions in the singles quarterfinals of the 2026 Brisbane International (WTA 500) held in Brisbane, Australia on the 8th and 9th.
Sabalenka, the first seed, defeated last year’s Australian Open champion and seventh-ranked Madison Keys (30, USA) 6-3, 6-3 on this day and reached the semifinals.
On the other hand, in the quarterfinals held earlier, Rybakina lost 2-6, 6-2, 4-6 after a close match with 20th ranked Karolina Muhova (29, Czech Republic). Rivakina’s winning streak, which had been on a steep rise since becoming the WTA Finals champion in November of last year, has also come to a halt.
Elena Rybakina and Karolina Muhova. Photo Brisbane International
Rybakina, who is 1m84 tall, recorded a total of 516 serve aces in 76 games last season, taking an overwhelming first place in this category.
In the first match (round 2) of this tournament, he scored 16 serve aces against ranked 79th ranked Jiang Shuai (36, China) and won 6-3, 7-5. In the round of 16, he gained momentum by easily defeating 25th ranked Paula Badosa (28, Spain) 6-3, 6-2, but was frustrated at the threshold of the semifinals.
This tournament, which started on the 5th, is a prelude to the 2026 Australian Open, which starts on the 18th. There are a series of surprises, including Amanda Anisimova (24, USA), ranked 3rd ahead of Rivakina, also being eliminated in the round of 16.
[기사제보 tennis@tennis.co.kr]
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