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Elena Rybakina, ranked fourth in the world, secured her sixth career title and inaugural victory of the season at the Brisbane International. She triumphed over the second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka with a score of 6-0, 6-3 in the final on Sunday. This win halted Sabalenka’s impressive 15-match winning streak on Australian courts, a streak that commenced last year with her successes in Adelaide and the Australian Open.

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Both Sabalenka and Rybakina entered the Sunday final in Brisbane without dropping a set throughout the tournament. Despite Rybakina trailing 5-2 in their head-to-head record, the two players evenly split their four meetings last season. Sabalenka secured victories at the beginning and end of the season, defeating Rybakina in Melbourne and during round-robin play at the WTA Finals in Cancun. However, Rybakina managed to clinch her first two wins against Sabalenka in Indian Wells and the Beijing quarterfinals.

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The Sunday final marked a rematch of the Australian Open final, where Rybakina reversed the outcome with an outstanding performance, concluding a flawless opening week. She displayed an impenetrable performance to dominate the top-seeded Sabalenka. This win represents Rybakina’s third hard-court title and her first since triumphing over Sabalenka in Indian Wells last spring. Additionally, it is her second title in Australia, following her initial WTA title victory in Hobart in 2020.

Match Report:

Rybakina promptly demonstrated her prowess as a formidable opponent when facing the top players in the WTA. Utilizing her renowned serve with both speed and accuracy, she capitalized on Sabalenka’s sluggish beginning to establish a commanding 5-0 lead in just 20 minutes.

Rybakina lost just 15 games en route to the Brisbane title. She lost more than three games in a set just once.

The second-ranked player in the world faced difficulties in finding her rhythm on the forehand side, as Rybakina’s flat forehand shots consistently kept Sabalenka under pressure.

Even though Sabalenka managed to land 65 percent of her first serves, she only secured seven points on her serve during the initial set. Rybakina closed out the opening set in 24 minutes, demonstrating an impressive performance by losing merely four points on her serve and committing just one unforced error in the set.