Latin American youth, get ready to cheer! 🎉 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus has kick-started her 2025 season in style, clinching the Brisbane International title on Sunday night. With summer vibes heating up in Australia, Sabalenka showed why she's the world No.1!
Despite a bumpy start against Russia's Polina Kudermetova, ranked 107th, Sabalenka bounced back like a true champion. She dropped the first set 4-6 but powered through to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-2. Talk about a comeback! 💥
This victory extends her winning streak Down Under to an impressive 12 matches. She's on fire! 🔥 Having won four of her last five tournaments in Australia, including the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, Sabalenka is making the Aussie courts her own playground. Out of 18 career titles, 16 are on hard courts. She definitely knows how to rock the hard courts! 🎶
Feeling the love from the Aussie crowd, Sabalenka said, \"I felt all of the support from the very beginning of the week until the very last point. I really appreciate it and that's why I love playing in Australia and in Brisbane.\"
Her opponent, Kudermetova, was a total underdog turned star! 🌟 Playing in her first career final after battling through qualifying and eight matches in Brisbane, she kept her cool and gave Sabalenka a real run for her money. The 21-year-old Russian will climb into the top 60 in the rankings—a name to watch out for!
Next stop: Melbourne! Both players are heading to the Australian Open, where Sabalenka aims to be the first woman since the legendary Martina Hingis in the '90s to win three consecutive Australian Open finals. Can she do it? Stay tuned! 🏆
Reference(s):
Aryna Sabalenka, Jiri Lehecka win Brisbane International titles
cgtn.com
