Brisbane International | World No.3 Amanda Anisimova dumped out by Marta Kostyuk in upset win as Jessica Pegula weathers Yastremska storm

It isn't the start to the season that Amanda Anisimova would've wanted especially after her brilliant win over Olivia Gadecki yesterday as the World No.3 has been dumped out of Brisbane International by Marta Kostyuk.

For a player that is seen as one who could trouble Sabalenka's dominance and also win the Australian Open, Anisimova will now head to the Australian Open after a Last 16 loss in a tie where she looked frustrated and Kostyuk picked her apart 6-4, 6-3.

Winning in just over an hour and 20, it wasn't perhaps an upset around a year ago but Anisimova has ascended into being the foil between Swiatek and Sabalenka as the next top player in women's tennis and is seen as the player next to be a new Grand Slam winner.

Her backhand looked incredible against Gadecki and had fans purring again that she might just replicate the form already going into the 2026 season. But in reality, it was a clinic from the other side of the court as Kostyuk was superb and frustrated Anisimova who looked fed up with the whole tie in general hitting balls that she would usually make out and she wasn't as dialled in as usual.

Maybe that was on her or it was the sheer strength of the Kostyuk game but as ever with these warm-up tournaments, that will either now help or hinder Anisimova with often the players who win these events unless it is Sabalenka or Keys not going on to win the main title anyway.

Kostyuk won 76% of her first serve points and this outweighed her 42% on second serve. She also frustrated Anisimova on breaks with 5/6 (82%) for the Ukrainian on saving break point chances. Whilst she converted 4/9 (44%) of break points with Anisimova not snatching up five that she had been given.

The first set was pretty close with Anisimova and Kostyuk not giving each other much but it was Kostyuk who struck first and after an emphatic hold she broke for 5-4 to move ahead. She nearly handed a break straight back to Anisimova who spurned chance after chance before Kostyuk finally sealed the set.

Set two saw Anisimova nearly give away her serve in game one as Kostyuk went 40-0 up but she held only to give it away next game anyway to go 2-1 down. Kostyuk lost her serve and it looked like the revival was on but that was shortlived as Anisimova lost it to go 4-3 down and this and losing the break chance next game ended it off for the American who was broken in the next game and lost the tie.

Next for Kostyuk is Mirra Andreeva or Linda Noskova who are into a second set with the Czech winning the first. It was a marathon day in general though for the Americans

Jessica Pegula took down Dayana Yastremska earlier 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 and continued her streak of going the distance. Thirteen of Pegula's last 15 matches have gone all the way and she has won 10 of those contests. Yastremska hit 20 winners in the first set showing her prowess early but that steadily decreased and she hit 61 unforced errors overall in the contest.

Pegula remained steady to the task at hand and dropped the first set from 5-3 up but returned to find 18 winners to 26 unforced errors. She stole crucial points from Yastremska's serve and was superb in winning through. It was another marathon after Madison Keys had to come through injury scares to see off Diana Shnaider with Pegula joking post match that she had to wait for her to win it seemed.

"At least I didn't go that long," she said. "When she won the second set I was like, uh ... But I guess if I'm gonna wait for somebody, I guess it's OK that she won the second set!" Both are good friends presenting The Players Box together and Sabalenka now faces Keys for a spot in the semi-finals. A repeat of their Australian Open final.