Marta Kostyuk has had the week of weeks when it comes to the new season with the Ukrainian now beating a third consecutive top 10 opponent to reach the final of the Brisbane International where she now takes on a certain Aryna Sabalenka for the title.
Kostyuk was flawless as she destroyed Pegula 6-0, 6-3. She had previously taken down both Amanda Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva but after clinching back-to-back wins, she also made light work of Pegula to reach the final. She eased into a 6-0, 3-0 lead and could've been even more emphatic against Pegula.
In the fourth game of the second set, Pegula finally got on the board but missed a break point and the American didn't clinch any more chances throughout the game to turn it aroun. She did hold two more times but that was about it as Kostyuk thrived and for Pegula it was an abject display.
Kostyuk fired four aces, converted four out of eight break point chances and saved both of Pegula's break points and now faces off against Sabalenka which will be a tall order given it is the World No.1 who has barely been troubled this week but in reality, Kostyuk has very much had the even better week and in particular taking down Anisimova shows that she could feasibly defeat Sabalenka.
No dinner reservations but still a mission complete
For Kostyuk, it is her first Brisbane final after two prior second round exits. She faces Sabalenka who took down Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-4 to reach her third consecutive final in comparison. It will be the fifth meeting between the pair with Sabalenka dominating winning all four meetings in straight sets so not a great omen for Kostyuk.
If Kostyuk wins though it would be her second WTA title, she also was hilariously asked if she was running for dinner reservations given the quickness of the win and it wasn't the case albeit it was for a different reason entirely.
“Well, I was rushing to not get the sun on the court because it’s a really terrible shadow. So I was like, ‘I need to be done very quickly," said Kostyuk on court.
“But no, honestly, it’s all jokes. I don’t know — I mean, I started unbelievably and, you know, we’re all human beings, so I was like, ‘OK, it’s going to end at some point, probably today.’ Maybe not today, but yeah, I’m very happy with how I stayed until the end of the match.
“It’s never easy when you’re up 6–0, 3–0, and you kind of expect that it’s going to end the same way. But Jess is an amazing player, top 10 for many years, and I was expecting a fight. I was expecting her to come back, and I was tense until the last point.
“I even thought I missed it, but it went in. And yeah, I’m very happy to be in the final.”
She was then asked the one thing that made the difference in an emphatic win in her mind. “I think I wasn’t rushing in the points. I think it’s really important with Jess to make her play, to make her run, and I think I did that really well today — changing pace.
“It was much warmer today than it was the last two nights for me, and the ball was going much faster, so I felt like I had more advantage because of that too. The points were shorter, and I’m very happy it was shorter points today.
“But honestly, for me, tennis is such a complex sport that one thing never defines something. I think it’s a combination of things — and it was just a very good day for me.”
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Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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- I, like writer of this wonderful article, also picked Noskova to win this entire thing. I would love it if she and Andreeva are in the final.Rapunzel12-11-2026
- "Priorities", Saba... spend less time in front of cameras, anti-Social Media, selfies and back to Tennis.
mandoist12-11-2026 - Tell this to Andreeva!mandoist12-11-2026
- Andreeva with 11 games in a row to add to Saba's downward spiral issue !!! Personal feelings aside... Jess Pegula may want to reassess her evaluation of Mirra's abilities.mandoist12-11-2026
- I predicted whenthe list was finalised that Linda Noskova would win the WTA Finals and her matches against Gauff and Kostyuk prove that. She is the best (underrated) player in the world!Rapunzel11-11-2026
- Either Lena has a chronic internal ailment (i.e., colitis, enteritis, Crohn's, or some type of lower abdomen issue) -- or she is once again dealing with 'Vukovitis'. Mental stress can indeed cause lower body pains. No matter... whatever is truly going on sucks. "Virus" excuse is getting a bit old -- and often -- at this point.mandoist09-11-2026
- Ironically, Martina became a U.S. Citizen about the same time as the Orange Convicted Felon & Abuser was just beginning on his road to losing all Daddy's Millions!!mandoist09-11-2026
- "Another fresh start is in the cards." Thanks for the Humor!! I'm guessing this is the minimum one can do to keep all your sponsors hanging-on in perpetuity?mandoist09-11-2026
- Vukov is doing this to Lena... AGAIN!!!!! WTA's autonomous collective should be dismantled for allowing Vukov to re-emerge from his hand-slapping suspension. Just ask WTA employees how that's been going lately as they witness his continued verbal abuses. Women's Pro Tennis should start over.mandoist08-11-2026
- Can't help but suspect Vukov is back to his old self again. Thank you, WTA. Perhaps you can give them a "Battling Couple of the Year Award 2026" ??mandoist08-11-2026
