With a composed 6–3, 6–3 victory over Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea, booking her place in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International and underlining her status as the woman to beat at the start of the season.
The world No. 1 delivered another authoritative performance, blending power, precision, and mental control to dispatch Cîrstea in straight sets. The win further cemented Sabalenka’s remarkable record in Australia, where she has now claimed 35 victories in her last 37 matches — a statistic that speaks volumes about her dominance on hard courts Down Under.
From the opening games, Sabalenka imposed herself on the match. Her serve, one of the most formidable weapons in women’s tennis, immediately put Cîrstea under pressure. Consistently finding depth and pace, the Belarusian controlled rallies from the baseline, dictating play with her trademark aggressive groundstrokes. While Cîrstea attempted to counter with flat, early strikes, she struggled to match Sabalenka’s sustained intensity.
The first set followed a familiar pattern. Sabalenka broke serve early, capitalizing on a brief dip in her opponent’s consistency, and never relinquished control. Although Cîrstea showed flashes of resilience, saving break points and forcing longer exchanges, Sabalenka’s ability to raise her level at crucial moments proved decisive. She closed out the set 6–3 with a confident hold, punctuated by a series of unreturnable serves.
The second set mirrored the first in both scoreline and substance. Sabalenka maintained her aggression while tightening her error count, a sign of the growing maturity in her game. Rather than overhitting, she constructed points more patiently, waiting for the right opening before unleashing her power. Cîrstea fought hard to stay in contention, using variation and net approaches to disrupt the rhythm, but Sabalenka’s defensive skills and court coverage repeatedly neutralized those efforts.
A key moment came midway through the second set when Sabalenka broke serve after an extended game that featured multiple deuces. The break appeared to drain Cîrstea’s belief, while Sabalenka surged ahead with renewed confidence. From there, the world No. 1 calmly served out the match, sealing another straight-sets victory without ever looking under serious threat.
Beyond the immediate result, the performance reinforced why Sabalenka has become such a dominant force in Australia. Her success in the region is no coincidence. The conditions suit her aggressive style, and her past triumphs have clearly bred confidence. Having already lifted major titles on Australian soil, she plays with a sense of assurance that few opponents can unsettle.
The Brisbane International has often served as a barometer for form ahead of the Australian Open, and Sabalenka’s showing suggests she is once again primed for a deep run in Melbourne. Her consistency, physical strength, and improved decision-making mark her as the player everyone else must measure themselves against.
As she advances to the quarterfinals, Sabalenka remains firmly focused, emphasizing match-by-match progress rather than long-term expectations. Yet with 35 wins in her last 37 Australian matches, the numbers tell a compelling story. Aryna Sabalenka is not just thriving in Australia — she is setting the standard.