Sabalenka
BRISBANE, Australia — Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka defeated Karolina Muchová 6-3, 6-4 Saturday to advance to the Brisbane International final.
Sabalenka, the defending Brisbane champion, clinched the semifinal at Pat Rafter Arena on her fourth match point to advance to Sunday’s final against the winner of a later semifinal between fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula and Marta Kostyuk.
On Friday, in a rematch of last year’s Australian Open final, Sabalenka broke Madison Keys in five straight service games on the way to a 6-3, 6-3 win. Last year at Melbourne Park, Keys beat Sabalenka for her first Grand Slam singles title.
The Brisbane International is a tune-up event for this year’s Australian Open, which begins Jan. 18.
In the men’s tournament at Brisbane, top-seeded Daniil Medvedev will play Alex Michelsen of the United States in a later semifinal. Two Americans feature in the other semi, with Aleksandar Kovacevic playing Brandon Nakashima.