The 2024
Brisbane International will conclude on Sunday morning with the
WTA Final seeing two of the best in the world colliding for one of the first titles of the new season as
Aryna Sabalenka faces
Elena Rybakina.
The final of last year's Australian Open with both defending their ranking points ahead of that tournament, this will give one player a boost of 500 points ahead of that run-in. But who prevails? Our
preview gives the main talking points and route to the final for both players.
Route to the Final - Elena Rybakina
Both players have been in destructive form this week with both not dropping a set. The first part of the final is Elena Rybakina who saw off Olivia Gadecki to start off with 6-4, 6-1 and followed that up with victory over Elise Mertens even more emphatically 6-1, 6-0.
Her next opponent was Anastasia Potapova, but Rybakina made light work of the Russian through the form of a walkover after taking the opening set 6-1. It was either Mirra Andreeva or Linda Noskova next up and it was the Czech ace who found her way through but despite a superb tournament couldn't have a repeat of Adelaide last year where she reached the final against Sabalenka.
Instead Rybakina continued her terrific run. After winning a Grand Slam in 2022, she reached the final in Melbourne and sealed two WTA 1000 titles. It could yet be a winning start to the season after a good performance at times during the World Tennis League before eventually withdrawing due to illness.
Route to the Final - Aryna Sabalenka
Her opponent Aryna Sabalenka went on to lose in the final of the World Tennis League, but saw off Ons Jabeur on the following day to start her season off fully and has carried on from there. She too has not lost a set all week and has been even more emphatic. She saw off Lucia Bronzetti in an ominous start before defeating Lin Zhu even more comfortably 6-1, 6-0. It was the next two wins though that were even more impressive.
She defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-4 before taking down Victoria Azarenka with similar comfort 6-2, 6-4. WIth Iga Swiatek also being superb to start the season, the big three are blazing a trail when it comes to emphatic wins to start the year and with Coco Gauff also facing Elina Svitolina in Auckland, it is a night of tennis action to savour ahead of the Australian Open. In terms of Head to Head, it is 5-2 to Sabalenka, but is a back and forth that has been reversing throughout the 2023 season with Sabalenka adding two wins and Rybakina adding her first two including in the final of Indian Wells. As a result unlike the Australian Open final last year, it is an even game despite the lopsided H2H currently.
