Sabalenka Triumphs Over Kudermetova to Claim Her Initial Brisbane Championship
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Brisbane, Jan 5 (NationPress) Aryna Sabalenka secured her second title at the Brisbane International, marking a stellar start to her 2025 WTA Tour season. This achievement adds to her impressive record of four trophies in Australia since 2023.
Sabalenka staged a comeback after losing the first set to overcome 21-year-old qualifier Polina Kudermetova with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the women’s singles final, thus attaining her 18th career title. The Belarusian first won the Brisbane title in 2023 when the tournament took place in Adelaide, defeating another qualifier, Linda Noskova, in that final.
Kudermetova was on a quest for her eighth consecutive victory at the Queensland Tennis Centre, having previously defeated seeded players Liudmila Samsonova and Daria Kasatkina to reach the final. She showcased her best performance in the opening set against a World No.1 for the first time.
"I want to congratulate Polina on an outstanding week, from qualifiers to the final; I’m confident more successes await you. You all are definitely on the right track. Honestly, I’m eager to know the speed of our shots today; it’s likely to break records. It was an incredibly aggressive match…"
"Brisbane is always a wonderful experience. Thank you, Brisbane, for your hospitality. To all the fans, your support means the world to me. I felt your encouragement from the start of the week to the last point. I truly appreciate it, which is why I love playing in Australia, especially in Brisbane. The Australian crowd is just amazing," Sabalenka expressed.
Kudermetova, after emerging from qualifying, navigated a challenging road to reach her first WTA final. She achieved her first career Top 10 victory by coming back to defeat World No.9 Daria Kasatkina with scores of 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the Round of 16. She also triumphed over Wang Xinyu, Liudmila Samsonova, Ashlyn Krueger, and Anhelina Kalinina, securing five consecutive wins for the first time in her career.
The 26-year-old Sabalenka has now garnered 16 of her 18 titles on hard courts, which include two at Melbourne Park, one at Adelaide, and the recent Brisbane title. Last year, she narrowly lost to Elena Rybakina in the final.
Next, Sabalenka will head to Melbourne, where she is the two-time defending champion of the Australian Open. She aims to be the first woman to win three consecutive Australian Opens since Martina Hingis, who dominated the event from 1997 to 1999.
