Sabalenka powers into another Brisbane final

The Belarusian who is chasing a third Australian open title in the past four years looked sharp throughout the semi final and will now face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in Sunday decider. Kostyuk advanced with a commanding 6-0, 6-3 victory over fourth seed Jessica Pegula.

Despite having won their previous three encounters Muchova struggled to contain Sabalenka aggressive shot making at the Queensland Tennis Centre. The Czech player fought hard but was unable to convert her chances late in the match with the contest ending when her return drifted beyond the baseline.

“I’m really happy that I managed to get the win today” Sabalenka said afterwards. “She’s an incredible competitor and our matches are always tough.”

Sabalenka has yet to lose a set against Kostyuk currently ranked 26th in the world as she builds momentum ahead of the Australian Open which begins on January 18 and runs through February 1.

Switzerland reach historic United Cup final

Switzerland secured a spot in United Cup final for the first time after edging Belgium 2-1 in a dramatic semi-final clash in Sydney.

The decisive mixed doubles match saw Belinda Bencic and Jakub Paul overcome Elise Mertens and Zizou Bergs 6-3, 0-6 and 10-5 in a match tie break at Ken Rosewall Arena. Switzerland will now face either the United States or Poland in the final of the mixed team tournament.

Bencic has been a standout performer throughout the competition winning all eight of her matches so far including a tense three set singles win over Mertens earlier in the tie.

After the victory Bencic admitted the pressure had been intense. “It feels like a huge weight has been lifted” she said. “I really wanted to perform for the team and that made today especially stressful.”

Last year’s United Cup final saw the United States defeat Poland, but Switzerland will now have the chance to make history on the sport’s opening stage of the season.