Aryna Sabalenka won the first WTA tournament of the year, the Brisbane International, defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour and 17 minutes. Sabalenka defends the crown from last year and remains at the top of the WTA ranking with 10,999 points. Marta Kostyuk rises six places to World No. 20., as she reached her first final since Stuttgart in April 2024.
After the match, the Ukrainian player Kostyuk denied a salute to the Belarusian Sabalenka, and later declined to name Sabalenka, instead choosing to talk about her country. "I want to say a few words about Ukraine. I play every day with a pain in my heart. There are thousands of people who are without light and warm water right now, it's minus 20 degrees outside right now, so it's very, very painful to live this reality every day.
"It's hot here in Brisbane, it's hard to imagine, but my sister is sleeping there under three blankets because the house is so cold. I was incredibly moved and happy to see so many Ukrainian fans and flags here this week."
When the match ended, Sabalenka kissed her biceps, seemingly a nod to when Kostyuk said that Sabalenka has higher testosterone levels. Later in the award ceremony, she congratulated Kostyuk.
Before the final, Kostyuk defeated a Russian player, Mirra Andreeva. Kostyuk, the second highest ranked Ukrainian player after Elina Svitolina (World No. 12), always refuses to salute Russian or Belarusian players, as a sign of protest.