Elena Rybakina gave Aryna Sabalenka a reality check on Sunday before defending her Australian Open title with a crushing 6-0, 6-3 victory in the final of the Brisbane International, a rematch of the summit clash Melbourne last year.
The ensuing men’s final at Pat Rafter Arena was a much closer contest with former world number 3 Grigor Dimitrov winning his first ATP title in over six years with a 7-6, 6-4 victory over youngster Danish Holger Rune.
Sabalenka, world number 2 and top seed, entered the competition on the back of a 15-match winning streak in Australia but was dominated by the former Wimbledon champion.
Rybakina wrapped up the first set in 24 minutes with three breaks of serve as Sabalenka, shaking her head in disbelief, committed 12 unforced errors on the show court at the Queensland Tennis Center.
The Kazakh broke Sabalenka again to start the second set and, although there was more fight on the other side of the net, she sealed her sixth career title when the Belarusian crushed another forehand to side.
“I want to congratulate Aryna on a great week and a great season last year and I hope we see each other again in Melbourne,” the Moscow-born world number 4 said during the on-court presentation ceremony.
“Despite the score, it’s still difficult to play against you. We push each other, which is great, and we get better that way, so I hope that continues.”
The pair split their four meetings last year with two wins each, although Sabalenka won the match that mattered most to claim his first Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park.
“I honestly don’t know where to start,” Sabalenka said with a laugh. “Elena, wow, I don’t know where to start. Thanks for these three matches, at least we made it look like a fight.
“A few words to my team, you did a bad job today. 6-0 6-3, it’s your fault guys… I hope we will be better at the Australian Open. “
Captivating affair
Dimitrov’s experience and on-court savvy prevailed over Rune’s youthful athleticism in the men’s final, a gripping contest with plenty of high-quality tennis that kept the crowd in suspense for more than two o’clock.
The 32-year-old Bulgarian, whose game was once compared to that of Roger Federer, claimed a tight first place in the tie-break, but world number 8 Rune did not back down.
The Dane, who regularly found aces to get out of trouble, withstood a break during a 17-minute match early in the second set and saved three championship points to hold the score at 4-5.
Dimitrov served for love, however, winning the ninth title of his career, and a first since winning the ATP Tour Finals in London in November 2017, with a beautifully judged backhand at the net.
“It’s been a while since I held one,” said an emotional Dimitrov after receiving the trophy for the second time following his triumph in Brisbane in 2017.
“I’m quite tired and I’m going to take a few days off but I’m really happy to be in Australia. I’ll continue and yes, I’ll move on to the next one.”
The Australian Open begins next Sunday and runs until January 28.
