Sabalenka, Rybakina Through To Quarterfinals At Brisbane International

SYDNEY, Jan 8 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and fifth-ranked Elena Rybakina reached the quarterfinals at the Brisbane International by winning in straight sets at the Australian Open warm-up event on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

Sabalenka, the defending champion in Brisbane, triumphed 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 19 minutes against Sorana Cirstea in their round of 16 match.

After breaking Cirstea's serve three times in the opening set, Sabalenka required six break points across two games in the second set before converting to take a decisive lead.

Speaking on court after the match, Sabalenka said that Cirstea had pushed her hard.

"Especially in the second set, it was a really great level from her. I'm super happy I was able to close this match in straight sets," she said.

Sabalenka has now won 35 matches and lost two in Australia since the start of 2023, a run that has included two Australian Open titles, with the only defeats coming in finals at the Brisbane International in 2024 and the Australian Open in 2025.

Rybakina, who ended 2025 by defeating Sabalenka to win the title at the WTA Finals, beat world No. 25 Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 25 minutes on Thursday to extend her winning streak to 13 matches.

The Kazakh fell behind 0-2 in the first set, but won 12 of the next 15 games, hitting 24 winners for the match.

"It was not easy, I started a little bit slow and was struggling on my serve too, but I'm happy that I managed to win," she said.

Sabalenka will play either Diana Shnaider or reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the quarterfinals, while Rybakina will face Ekaterina Alexandrova or Karolina Muchova.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA