Brisbane International | Marvellous Marta as Kostyuk destroys Jessica Pegula to reach final
WTASaturday, 10 January 2026 at 08:14
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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- "This of course a stark change to Rybakina who is obviously more timid..." That just may be the dumbest thing ever written about Lena. For a CCO, Mr. Gill seems to have either made an error in judgement -- or needed filler for this article -- to say something so ridiculous.
mandoist13-09-2026 - “The way I like to put it – no disrespect to anybody – is that this is her house, and all the other girls are just guests, and it’s time for them to go home” Well now... seems John Stacy has made a complete ass of himself. Doubt he'll be receiving any invitations to Lena's "house" any time soon.mandoist13-09-2026
- I am sorry, but Sabalenka has NO EXCUSE for her despicable behaviour. She lacks self and mouth control! The message is being sent but Saba isn't getting it! She is full of arrogance and pride. Hopefully, after this defeat she will be on the way to becoming a humble lady LIKE ELENA! I hope she never regains the world No. 1 until she develops some humility.Rapunzel13-09-2026
- Sabalenka began showing signs of her game gradually 'changing' since last season. I predicted her fascination with posting endless Selfies, participating in commercial media distractions and constant Social Media nonsense could impact her in a negative way. Her off-court Life was sure to interfere with her performace level. Visions of Raducanu, Giorgi, Bouchard come to mind. The Final yesterday was a weird case of polar-opposites. Sabalenka and Rybakina could not be any more different in personalities! Saba often portrays a somewhat fake persona, including her Phony Screaming. Her usual habit of acting like the nice girl with a sense of humor is a misconception. People take her lack of intellect as "cute" and "funny". So anyway... yesterday viewers witnessed that Fake Scream be reduced to a whimper and sometimes no vocal gymnastics at all once she knew the jig was up. We all saw her look into the camera post-match and say "F... You". Also, pretty hard to not see Saba making untoward facial expressions, rolling her eyes, etc., behind Rybakina while on the podium. Elena Rybakina, on the other hand, was her usual 'in-control' self as she spoke clearly and calmly, without making faces nor any ill-will toward anyone = 100% Class Act. Lena appeared more than aware of Saba's sour attitude and made a point of not looking in her direction most of the time. FWIW: I have never -- not ever -- heard Sabalenka make any sounds on practice courts. So it is indeed a nonsensical ruse as she thinks (incorrectly) it affects opponents. It does not. In fact, as was the case yesterday, I saw Lena occasionally take a side-eye glance at Saba on her way to the bench... as if to calculate her emotions. Saba is actually a very easy 'read'.mandoist13-09-2026
- WTA really, really hates this sort of thing. They surely are satisfied to make believe no such thing happens (or happened).mandoist13-09-2026
- WTA and ATP cannot even make their dope testing equal and precise across the board. They sure as hell cannot escape a stituation they themselves made over the ridiculous "penalty" of omitting a player's country flag. Nothing regarding which flags to display (or not) should be a Thing. It proves nothing; solves nothing. If anything, all it did was cause stress, tension, and even outbursts between players in the WTA locker room. Let's not even start with the asinine practice of not shaking hands at the net with "the enemy". There seems to be a general lack of intelligence behind Pro Tennis administrations' Closed Doors. .mandoist13-09-2026
- Big Babe Tennis! Hoping for a good final.DaveyWavey12-09-2026
- Director needs to return to his old "job" at the Australia Open. He's clueless in NYC.mandoist12-09-2026
- You keep writing ridiculous crap... why are you even watching tennis?mandoist12-09-2026
- They probably have a very good reason for this. I do not get it. Annoying that it finishes so late
AceOfBase12-09-2026
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