SYDNEY — Aryna Sabalenka will return to the Brisbane International before the world tennis No.2 shoots for a third straight Australian Open title.
The two-time defending champion at Melbourne Park and reigning US Open winner was runner-up at Pat Rafter Arena earlier this year.
She was confirmed, alongside women’s world No.4 Jessica Pegula and men’s duo Holger Rune and Frances Tiafoe as the first four players locked in for the event that begins on December 29.
Pegula, beaten in the New York final by Sabalenka this year, has never played the Brisbane International.
Rune was runner-up this year, and Tiafoe hasn’t featured since 2018.
Tournament organisers remain hopeful of luring former champion Nick Kyrgios to the event after he confirmed his intent to return from long-term injury for the Australian summer.
The Belarusian player revealed after winning the Chinese title earlier this week that she wants to surpass Iga Swiatek after the WTA Finals in Riyadh, and become the new World WTA No.1.
“The ranking is very tight at the moment. It’s really nice to see for the fans. I’ve always said that this is one of my main goals, but I prefer to focus on myself and continue working hard.
“We’ll see after the WTA Finals if I’ve been good enough this season to become the world number 1,” World No.2 Sabalenka said after her third-set win over Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng of China.
Sabalenka completed a historic three-peat at the Wuhan tennis Open after defeating Qinwen 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the final.
A champion in 2018 and 2019, Sabalenka became the first woman to win three consecutive titles at Wuhan, running her unbeaten streak at the tournament to 17-0.
Wuhan is Sabalenka’s 17th WTA Tour title and her fifth on Chinese soil, the most of any player in the Open Era. She also reigned supreme at 2019 Shenzhen and 2019 Zhuhai, in addition to her three titles in Wuhan.
After losing the first seven sets of her career to Sabalenka, Qinwen finally scored a breakthrough. She finished a pulsating 60-minute frame with an uncharacteristic roar and a fist pump.
All the momentum was Zheng’s. She had won 10 straight matches that went to a deciding set and was clearly feeling the unconditional love of nearly all of the 15,000 in attendance.
By winning the next three games — and showing the kind of heart that has made her the hottest player on tour this summer.
Sabalenka emerged with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory to win her third consecutive title of the Wuhan Open.
There were a handful of critical junctures in this 2-hour, 40-minute match and Sabalenka ultimately rose to meet them all.
She briefly lost her composure several times, but in the end mastered her emotions. Sabalenka, at the age of 26, has become proficient at moving past bad moments. In an instant, she resets, reloads and carries on.
“Honestly, I felt like I just lost little bit focus, and I let her come back in the match,” Sabalenka said according to wtatennis.com.
“I got a little bit frustrated there. It became a three-set match. Balls are getting heavier, it’s third set, a bit emotional.
“I wouldn’t say that she did something differently. I would say that I just played kind of like against myself. But I’m really happy I was able to put everything together in the third set and get this win,” Sabalenka added.
With titles here in 2018 and 2019, Sabalenka returned to the top after the tournament experienced a five-year hiatus. She’s won all of her 17 matches in Wuhan. Five of her 17 career titles have come in China, something no other woman has achieved in the Open Era.
The previous three matches between them were clinical, straight-set affairs, but Zheng finally broke Sabalenka’s serve for the first time to level the second set at 2-all. She backed it up with two more breaks to avert a tiebreak and force a third set.
There’s a famous quote, often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, “Let China sleep, for when she awakes, the world will tremble.” For Zheng, 2024 has been that awakening. She won the singles Olympic gold medal in Paris and for close to three hours played the World No.2 on nearly even terms.
In the end, though, her serve cost her the match. Each player created 12 break-point opportunities, but Sabalenka won seven — two more than Zheng. Zheng was forced to hit 56 second serves, twice as many as Sabalenka, who won 36 of those points.
