Double title holder of the Australian Open, the Belarusian has not yet given up a single set during her preparation tournament.
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who will aim for a third consecutive title in January at the Australian Open (January 12-26), qualified on Saturday for the final of the WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane on Friday, at the expense of Russian Mirra Andreeva (16th).
The Belarusian easily won 6-3, 6-2 against one of the rising stars of tennis, aged 17, and will face another Russian in the final, Polina Kudermetova (107th). The latter, from qualifying, won her half earlier against the Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina (55th) 6-4, 6-3 and will play her first final on the WTA circuit.
Sabalenka will be aiming for a third consecutive victory at the Australian Open, a feat not achieved since Martina Hingis between 1997 and 1999.
In Brisbane, where she was a finalist last year, the winner of the 2024 US Open has not yet lost a set. During her first match, she won with authority against the Mexican Renata Zarazua before moving on against the Kazakh Yulia Putintseva then the Czech Marie Bouzkova.
