Aryna Sabalenka has made a stunning start to her 2026 season after winning her opener against Cristina Bucsa in just 47 minutes.
Sabalenka took on Bucsa in the round of 32 of the Brisbane International, easily winning their encounter 6-0, 6-1.
The singles victory comes after WTA number one Sabalenka won her Brisbane doubles opener with Paula Badosa.
The victory over Bucsa marks a fourth straight win in opening matches of the season, while it is the third successive year that she has bageled an opponent in her first match.
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Aryna Sabalenka left ‘frustrated’ despite 47-minute win
Despite the dominance, Sabalenka wasn’t entirely satisfied, having been asked afterwards how hard it is to maintain her intensity.
She replied: “Well, I think because I have been on tour for quite a bit and I’m quite an experienced player, and I have seen a lot of things happen, even if you’re like leading easily and just lose the momentum, give some easy shots and things can turn around, so that’s why I think throughout the years, I learned how to stay focused and ignore the scoreline and just focus on the things that I have to do on court.
“Yes, of course I was getting a little frustrated, but I wasn’t happy with the way I played the point and that’s it.
“I think that’s a great mentality to have, but it also can be against you if you go too much and ignoring that it’s like the score is kind of like good for you so you can relax sometimes. But if you can balance these two things, I think it’s a great mentality to have.”
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Aryna Sabalenka surprised by her serve-and-volley points in Brisbane
Sabalenka is the defending champion at the tournament in Brisbane, which she will be using as preparation for the Australian Open.
She takes on Sorana Cirstea in the round of 16, with the Romanian having just knocked out Jelena Ostapenko.
Sabalenka was also asked if she surprised herself with her stunning start, particularly given the possibility of not being 100% given that the season has only just started.
She said: “Well, I think because throughout the year, I learned how to be ready for whatever happens on court, so whenever I go out there, I’m ready to compete.
“I’m ready for things are not going well, and I’m ready to bring the fight. So I think that’s kind of mentality helps me to bring this kind of level.
“I mean, I was surprised with my serve-and-volley points. You know, I mean, I was practicing, I was working on that, but I wasn’t sure if it’s going to, you know, go my way on the match.
“But I’m happy that I was able to practice that on the match. I mean, I worked really hard, so I wasn’t really surprised with the level.”
The victory and the mere manner of it should serve as a real warning to the rest of the WTA players, who won’t want to see the Belarusian in such red-hot form, and indeed so early in the season.
And unfortunately for Bucsa, that isn’t the last she will see of Sabalenka in Brisbane, with the pair set to come face-to-face in doubles too.
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