WHY ARYNA SABALENKA’S CLINICAL DEMOLITION OF MUCHOVA MAKES HER THE MELBOURNE FAVORITE
Aryna Sabalenka beats Muchova to reach her third straight Brisbane final. She faces giant-killer Marta Kostyuk for the 2026 title.
Aryna Sabalenka powered past Karolina Muchova in straight sets on Saturday, booking her spot in the Brisbane International final for the third year in a row—just a week out from the Australian Open.
Sabalenka looked sharp. Muchova, who’s had the upper hand in their last three matches and actually holds a winning record against the world number one, came in as a real threat. But Sabalenka didn’t care about history. She broke Muchova once in each set, kept her foot on the gas, and closed out the semifinal 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes. Now, she’ll face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in Sunday’s final.
On the men’s side, Daniil Medvedev, the former world number one, gets unseeded American Brandon Nakashima in the final.
“I’ve struggled against her before,” Sabalenka said about Muchova. “But today, I stayed focused from the start, played some great tennis, put her under pressure, and I’m happy to get it done in straight sets.”
The 27-year-old from Belarus feels her game is clicking more with every match in Brisbane—she hasn’t dropped a set yet. With seven of the world’s top ten in the draw, she says this is perfect prep for Melbourne, where the Australian Open starts January 18. Sabalenka’s eyeing her third Australian Open title in four years.
“Honestly, compared to my first match here, I can feel my level going up,” she said. “That’s huge before Melbourne. It’s about building form, playing tough matches, and getting ready for what’s next. I’m really happy with how it’s going and can’t wait for the final.”
Kostyuk, ranked 26th, absolutely steamrolled world number six Jessica Pegula, 6-0, 6-3, in just 55 minutes—a masterclass in power and aggression. That’s three top-ten wins in a row for her. Before Pegula, she took out world number three Amanda Anisimova in the third round, then ninth-ranked Mirra Andreeva in the quarters.
“Today was just one of those days where everything goes right,” Kostyuk said, grinning. “Honestly, I haven’t had many matches like this, especially against top-10 players. It’s a huge bonus, especially in these tough Brisbane conditions—hot and humid.”
Kostyuk has never beaten Sabalenka in four tries, but she’s not feeling the pressure.
“All the pressure’s on her. I just want to go out, play well, and give the crowd a good show,” she said. “I’ve got nothing to lose.”
In the men’s semifinals, Medvedev beat American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-2, and Nakashima knocked out another American, Aleksandar Kovacevic, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.
DUBAI OPENER: TOP SEED FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME SURVIVES TENSE TIE-BREAK AGAINST ZHIZHEN ZHANG
Dubai Day 1: Discover how Felix Auger-Aliassime survived a tense tie-break, and Jack Draper made a winning return to the ATP tour.
Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Draper both made it through to the next round at the Dubai Duty Free ATP 500 Tennis Championships, which kicked off today.
Auger-Aliassime had to dig deep against China’s Zhizhen Zhang, coming out on top 6-3, 7-6 after a match that lasted just under two hours. He grabbed an early break in the first set, but the second set was a battle. He had six chances to close it out before finally getting over the line in a tense tiebreak. Relief was written all over his face as he left the court, stopping to sign loads of autographs for the fans who stuck around.
“I stopped counting the match points at some point; it was getting too frustrating,” Auger-Aliassime admitted afterwards. “As a player, you want to be in that position, but your mind plays tricks. I kept thinking, ‘I’m so much further from losing than he is; he should be the one who’s nervous.’ I just told myself, ‘If it goes to a third set, I’ll be ready.’”
Draper, back on the ATP tour after six months away, looked a bit off at the start and had to save a bunch of break points early on. But he settled in and took down Quentin Halys, a qualifier, 7-6, 6-3.
The British No. 1 had a tense moment at 4-5 in the first set, going to deuce three times before holding serve. He got two break points in the next game but couldn’t capitalise. In the tie-break, Draper shot ahead 5-2, lost his lead, but finally edged it out 10-8.
Asked how it felt to be back, Draper said, “It feels so good. Honestly, just being out here in front of a crowd, playing a tough opponent, it was tricky out there. Sure, I could’ve played a bit cleaner, but I haven’t been on tour for a while, so I’m really proud of today. I just want to keep going. This is what I love about being out here, competing, and feeling that adrenaline again.”
Draper’s time off gave him a chance to work on his serve. “My serve was always solid, but it could’ve been more consistent,” he explained. “I worked on a few mechanics, especially after my pec injury last year and the recent bone stress. I’m always looking for ways to get better. Honestly, my serve feels more reliable now than ever, and I just need to get my arm back to 100%.”
Before the tournament started, Draper and Auger-Aliassime popped by the stadium for a surprise session with young players. They ran drills, shared stories from their own careers, and tried to inspire the next generation.
“I think it’s amazing to give back, especially to kids,” Draper said. “I remember how inspiring it was for me to be around players like Andy Murray when I was younger.”
Elsewhere, Stan Wawrinka beat Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan 7-5, 6-3, and Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard survived three tie-breaks to win 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 against Moez Echargui.
THE ALCARAZ STANDARD: WHY ARTHUR FILS BELIEVES CARLOS IS PLAYING AT A "DIFFERENT LEVEL."
Alcaraz is unstoppable! Discover how he dismantled Arthur Fils in 50 minutes to win Doha and keep his 2026 streak alive.
Arthur Fils just couldn’t keep up with Carlos Alcaraz in the Qatar Open final. After the match, Fils admitted that the world No. 1 is simply “on another level” right now.
Earlier in 2025, Fils hit a career high of No. 14 in the ATP rankings, but things took a tough turn at the French Open. A serious back injury sidelined him for months. He tried to come back at the Canadian Open in August, got through two matches, but then had to pull out of the US Open and missed the rest of the season. He even skipped the start of 2026, pulling out of the Australian Open.
Finally, in February, Fils returned to the court. He made the quarter-finals in Montpellier but crashed out in the first round of the Rotterdam Open, losing to Alex de Minaur, who ended up winning the tournament.
Everything seemed to come together for Fils in Doha. He knocked out eighth seed Jiri Lehecka in the quarters, then took down sixth seed Jakub Mensik, who had upset world No. 2 Jannik Sinner to reach the final against Alcaraz.
But against Alcaraz? There was just no contest. The seven-time Grand Slam winner needed only 50 minutes to deliver a 6-2, 6-1 defeat and kept his perfect record against Fils, now 3-0.
Honestly, losing like that to Alcaraz isn’t something to be ashamed of. The guy hasn’t lost a match in 2026 and already has the Australian Open trophy this year.
“I played worse than I did earlier in the week. But he’s number one for a reason; undefeated since the start of the year, you get it when you watch him,” Fils said. “He’s on another level right now, and I’m just not there. Not even close.”
“I need to put in the work, but at the moment, I’m not at that level. He plays unbelievably well. I’ve got no excuses.”
Alcaraz and Sinner have been running the show in men’s tennis for the past two years. After this run-in in Doha, Fils is set to jump seven spots to No. 33, and he talked about what separates players like Alcaraz and Sinner from everyone else.
“They start fast, put on pressure right from the beginning, and play at such a high level it’s tough,” he said. “We’ll have to watch the match and figure out what happened.”
Even Alcaraz had some kind words for Fils and admitted he was locked in from the first point in Doha.
“Today I played great. I focused on keeping that up the whole match and started strong,” Alcaraz said. “Finals are where you have to show your best.”
“Honestly, Arthur didn’t start well. He made a lot of mistakes, which gave me the confidence to play more relaxed and stay calm. I was able to control the match, control every point, and always be in a good position.”
“I played solid, stayed aggressive when I could, and hit passing shots. It all came together. Arthur just came back four months ago, only played a couple of tournaments, and still made the final here after beating some really good players. I’m sure he’ll get back to his best soon.”
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