Second seed Elena Rybakina won the WTA 500 tournament on the hard courts in Brisbane. In the final, the tennis player representing Kazakhstan defeated Arina Sabalenka of Belarus, who took the second place in the world ranking, 6-0, 6-3.
In doing so, Rybakina ended the Belarusian's 15-match winning streak in the Antipodes, which began in Adelaide last year and ended with her triumph at the Grand Slam Australian Open, where she defeated… her Sunday opponent in the final.
1. Severe punishment for the Russian tennis player! He was disqualified for 4 years
Sabalenka is the second-placed player in the world ranking and the most serious opponent of Iga Switchtek, the leader in this ranking. The Pole is participating in the United Cup team tournament, which is also held in Australia.
Rybakina won the sixth title in her career and improved the balance of head-to-head matches with Sabalenka to 3-5.
“Regardless of the final result, you are always a tough opponent. I think the two-way competition gives us energy and gives us a boost,” Rybakina told Belarus after the match.
“Thank you for these three games. I didn't expect it to end like this, but it was a successful week. Hopefully it will be even better at the Australian Open,” Sabalenka added.
In the round of 16 Magda Linet, seeded at number 9, was eliminated from the competition and lost to Russian Daria Kasatkina. In pairs, the Pole was eliminated in the quarterfinals together with the American Bernarda Pera.
JŻ, PAP
