Elena Rybakina dominated the match against defending Australian Open champion, Aryna Sabalenka, with a score of 6-0, 6-3 to win the Brisbane International title. The world No 4 from Kazakhstan spent less than five hours on court and won five impressive matches in Queensland’s capital. In the men’s final, Grigor Dimitrov secured his first ATP Tour title since 2017 by defeating Holger Rune in straight sets.
Rybakina put an eye-catching exclamation mark on her dominance in a one-sided final, reversing the result of last year’s tight three-set Melbourne Park decider. She benefited from Anastasia Potapova retiring injured during their quarter-final and was untroubled in the season-opening tournament, clocking only four hours and 52 minutes under the bright lights.
In just 18 minutes, the champion of 2022 Wimbledon took a 5-0 lead against Sabalenka, who had dominated her way to the final. Both players will still be considered top contenders in the upcoming Melbourne tournament starting next Sunday, but Rybakina’s impressive performance and powerful serve have raised her profile as she aims for a second major title.
“I would like to extend my congratulations to Aryna for a fantastic week and season last year. I hope we have the chance to meet in Melbourne. Despite the outcome, it is always challenging to compete against you. We continuously push each other to strive for excellence.”
The second-ranked Belarusian player, who currently has a 5-3 record against her opponent, could only chuckle as the match intensified. She joyfully marked her victory in the first game of the second set and later kissed her hand and acknowledged the sky after winning a game in the set.
“I am unsure of where to begin… the match was quite intriguing and you did an amazing job. Thank you for putting up a fight in those three games,” Sabalenka joked after the match. “To my team, I have a few words for you: you did not perform well today – 6-0, 6-3, it is all your fault, guys.”
“It is what it is. We displayed some exceptional tennis and hopefully we will perform even better at the Australian Open. I simply wanted the audience to conserve their energy for the men’s final.”
Dimitrov defeated the top-ranked Danish player, Rune, in a match that lasted just over two and a quarter hours with a score of 7-6 (5), 6-4. This victory marked Dimitrov’s ninth career title, with his last win being at the ATP Finals in 2017. He also won the Brisbane International that same year. As the second seed, Dimitrov expressed his emotions after the win, stating, “It’s been a long time since I’ve held one of these trophies, it’s quite emotional. It’s a fantastic start to the year and we have a lot to build on. Hopefully, we can go even further at the Australian Open.”
At the ASB Classic in Auckland, Coco Gauff, the No 1 seed, successfully defended her title and captured her seventh championship overall with a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 victory over the No 2 seed, Elina Svitolina on Sunday.
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In another location, Germany made a comeback from almost losing to defeat Poland and become the champions of the United Cup in Sydney. Alexander Zverev managed to save two opportunities for Poland to win in the tie-break of the second set against Hubert Hurkacz before eventually winning with a score of 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Zverev and Siegemund were victorious in the following doubles match against Hurkacz and Swiatek with a score of 6-4, 5-7, 10-4. Swiatek, a four-time grand slam champion, had previously defeated Kerber 6-3, 6-0.
During the award ceremony, Zverev expressed his gratitude for the experience and how enjoyable it was for everyone involved, particularly himself.
“I am truly grateful to all of you for being a part of this experience. I couldn’t imagine celebrating this trophy with anyone else but you. Congratulations to Team Poland for an incredible performance. It was a very close call today, just a matter of millimeters, for you to become the champions.”
In the Hong Kong Open final, Andrey Rublev, the top seed, claimed his 15th tour-level championship by defeating Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 6-4.
Source: theguardian.com
